5 Eagles Most Likely to Be Inactive vs Rams in Week 5

2. Rashaad Penny

Boy was I wrong about Rashaad Penny.

I didn't think he was going to be the RB1 in Philly, but I did think he would be an explosive complement to D'Andre Swift, offering some home run hitting ability.

Instead he has 3 carries for 9 yards through three games, and is the clear RB4 on the depth chart.

Boston Scott and Kenny Gainwell were both healthy again in Week 4, and that sent Penny right back to the inactive list. The coaching staff is clearly much higher on Gainwell than Penny as a rusher, with Gainwell sitting closer to Swift than he is to Penny in the pecking order.

From there it's not quite as clear whether Scott is actually better on offense than Penny, but it's at least close enough that the coaches would much rather have Scott on the game day roster because of his special teams contributions. He's clearly a significant upgrade over Penny in that area.

That leaves no room for Penny, since it's just overkill to have four running backs active.

It's unclear exactly where the coaching staff is at with Penny. Is he on the verge of being cut if we need the extra roster spot? Do they think he has the potential to be a valuable contributor who is worth hanging onto as an insurance plan in case we suffer more running back injuries?

Only time will tell, but for now we can expect Penny to be watching another game in street clothes.