Projecting the Eagles 2023 Running Back Depth Chart
Losing Miles Sanders created a ton of ambiguity in a Philadelphia Eagles backfield that has always been a little tough to decipher. The Eagles’ running back depth chart is always fluid, and essentially replacing Sanders with two free agents (D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny) leaves room for even more uncertainty.
Things are starting to shake out as training camp comes toward its conclusion though, and here’s a projection for what the running back depth chart will look like for Week 1’s matchup against the New England Patriots.
Starting Running Back: D’Andre Swift
D’Andre Swift is the clear lead back in Philadelphia, even before I factor in just how excited I am to have him in town.
He’s been the RB1 all through training camp, he’s the only RB who didn’t suit up in the preseason game against the Browns, and he has the every-down versatility to be a true workhorse if needed.
Now getting a little more subjective, I think Swift can actually bring more to this offense than Sanders did. He’s not quite the talented pure runner that Sanders is, but he’s also never had an offense even close to as conducive toward rushing success as the Eagles.
And the difference between Swift and Sanders as receivers is night-and-day. Sanders has averaged 3.8, 4.6 and 3.0 yards per target over the last three seasons, catching 28, 26 and 20 passes.
For Swift, those marks are 6.3, 5.8 and 5.6 yards per target with 46, 62 and 48 receptions.
RB2: Kenneth Gainwell
Kenny Gainwell received the first carry in the Browns game, and his versatility should be enough to place him in the RB2 spot.
Gainwell and Boston Scott already saw a nearly identical number of carries behind Sanders last season, but Scott contributed nothing as a receiver, while Gainwell had 29 targets to go with his 50 carries.
Gainwell is also 24 years old and heading into his third NFL season. He’s still got plenty of room to develop and grow as a player, and any progress he made this offseason should be the icing on the cake that solidifies his job in this RB2 role.
RB3: Rashaad Penny
Rashaad Penny is by far the toughest piece to nail down in this backfield since the potential range of outcomes for the former first-round pick is massive.
On pure talent, Penny could honestly emerge as the RB1 and it wouldn’t be all that shocking.
Injuries have limited his work so much, but he’s been healthy enough to see 50-plus carries in three of the last four seasons. He averaged 5.7, 6.3 and 6.1 yards per carry in those seasons. His career average of 5.7 yards per carry are the highest in NFL history for a running back with at least 300 career rush attempts.
But he’s been healthy enough to play in only 42 games in his five-year career, and he’s coming off of a serious injury after breaking his fibula in 2022.
He’s never offered much as a receiver, and if that injury hampers him too much or new issues pop up that slow him down, Penny could fall to the bottom of the depth chart or even find himself off the roster altogether.
For now I’ve got him down as the RB3, but he could be anywhere once we get deeper into the season.
RB4: Boston Scott
Boston Scott saw his workload shrink to the smallest it’s been since his 2019 breakout last year, recording 54 carries and seeing just 6 targets. He was on the field for just 17% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps in the 15 games he was active for.
His familiarity with the offense and special teams contributions have him as a favorite to still make this roster though.
He has a special teams snap rate of at least 20% in three of the last four years (and 17% the year he didn’t hit that mark), seeing consistent playing time on the kick return and kickoff coverage teams.
That special teams role isn’t enough to warrant a roster spot on his own, but providing reliable depth at running back while also doing other work makes him versatile enough to hang onto as the RB4.
Cut/Practice Squad: Trey Sermon, Kennedy Brooks
Kennedy Brooks has always been basically drawing dead to make the final roster, so that one’s obviously no surprise.
Trey Sermon, though, was hoping to fight for a roster spot all through training camp and the preseason. With four near-locks ahead of him on the depth chart though, this was a hugely uphill battle that was going to take a real stand-out performance to overcome. We didn’t get that, and Sermon hasn’t made any case for it being worthwhile to carry five running backs on the roster.
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