Entering the 2020 season, the Eagles backfield figures to be a focal point of Doug Pederson’s offensive attack. Not only because of the talent there, but because the trio of Miles Sanders, Boston Scott and Corey Clement are familiar with the system, far more than some of the players the Eagles will be relying on at the wide receiver position.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked all of the backfields in the NFL, ranking the Eagles group in the middle of the pack, 20th out of 32.
While that ranking seems fair given how young the Eagles backs are, I would argue their backfield is better than the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, both of which ranked higher on PFF’s list.
A lot of fans and pundits are high on the Eagles backfield due mostly to their potential. Miles Sanders had a great rookie campaign, finishing the year with 1,327 yards from scrimmage and averaging 4.5 yards per carry. With more opportunities in 2020, those numbers will only go up.
Boston Scott also emerged as a versatile threat out of the backfield. PFF handed him an 85.3 receiving grade in 2020, as he hauled in 24 passes for 204 yards along with forcing eight missed tackles.
This duo of Sanders and Scott should cause matchup nightmares for opposing defenses all season. They’re both great receivers out of the backfield and they both proved they can run between the tackles when need be.
Corey Clement is the forgotten man of this bunch. After initially cutting him at the beginning of the offseason, the front office decided to bring him back on a one-year deal. Injuries have plagued his career up to this point, but we all saw the kind of offensive weapon he can be when he was fully healthy during his rookie season in 2017. If he remains healthy, he’ll be a great depth piece behind Scott and Sanders.
I’ve said this plenty of times before, the Eagles offense is at its best when the running game is succeeding. The offensive line plays a big part in that, and although Brooks may be out for the year, the line is still one of the better groups in the league.
This current backfield is the most talented group Pederson has had at his disposal since becoming the head coach here. Expect the Birds backfield to surprise a lot of people this season, and possibly creep up PFF’s list towards the top-10 at season’s end.