(Photo: Douglas DeFelice, USA TODAY Sports)
The Washington Redskins are visiting the Philadelphia Eagles to debut the 2019 season. Now that all the cuts have been made from preseason, both teams are eager to get the show on the road. For the Eagles, they seem to have very few question marks on both sides of the ball. However, there is one question regarding the starting running back position: Who will have the most carries between Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders? Let’s take a look at the Philadelphia Eagles Running Back Battle.
Jordan Howard
Entering his fourth year, Jordan Howard arrives to the City of Brotherly Love through a trade for a 2020 sixth-round pick. Philadelphia has welcomed Howard with open arms as fans hope to see a copy of his 2016 rookie season. He recorded 1,313 yards, 6 Touchdowns, and averaged 5 yards a carry. Due to risk of injury and the fact that the Eagles had to choose from 4 out of 8 running backs, we didn’t get to see a lot from Howard in preseason. He only touched the ball a total of 7 times for 23 yards, averaging just 3 yards a carry. But there is a lot of promise heading into 2019. Jordan Howard is jumping into a role much like in Chicago. Meaning that he will be sharing roles with a committee rather than taking a heavy workload.
The past couple seasons, Jordan Howard has been sharing roles with Tarik Cohen in Chicago. Jordan Howard being more of the power back and Tarik Cohen taking on more of a Wide Receiver Role. Jordan Howard is way more of a full steam ahead, bulldozer type player. Someone the Eagles have been missing since the departure of LeGarrette Blount. But, the difference between Blount and Jordan Howard is that Howard has more explosive speed while finding his blocks. Miles Sanders has been taking reps as a receiving back and will surely fill that role in 2019.
Miles Sanders
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In the 2019 draft: Miles Sanders was drafted in the second round out of Penn State. After Saquon Barkley left for the NFL in 2018, Miles Sanders took on the starting role with ease. Sanders ranked 2nd in rushing yards in the Big Ten and 3rd in scrimmage yards. Saquon Barkley also ranked 2nd in rushing and 3rd in scrimmage yards. Coincidence?
Averaging almost 6 yards a carry over his college career, Sanders hopes to carry his momentum over the 2019 season. Miles also recorded over 1,274 yards on 220 carries which is on the same tier as his predecessor, Barkley. When it comes to being as agile or being able to cut and juke, you can count on Sanders to be Shady-like (LeSean McCoy) in that category. Miles Sanders speed is also unlike any others. This should be a huge advantage when it comes to landing the starting role. If Miles Sanders can produce the same numbers as Barkley on the New York Giants, Howie Roseman may have scored big in the draft.
Who Will Win the Eagles Running Back Battle?
If you ask me, Miles Sanders will turn out to be the long term Eagles Running Back. Pennsylvania grown, he will fit the Philadelphia mold perfectly. In fact, he had just written his own piece in The Players Tribune ( https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/miles-sanders-philadelphia-eagles). Miles Sanders will prove to be the lead back on 1st & 10 by at least week 3. Although Jordan Howard will most likely be taking the first team snaps this coming Sunday vs Washington, I’ll put money on Miles Sanders recording more yards a carry and even an extra touchdown more than Jordan Howard. The Redskins defense has allowed on average 116 rushing yards yards a game in 2018. This will give both Howard and Sanders a solid chance to show Coach Doug Pederson who is the winner of the starting Running Back Position.
Who do you think will win the Philadelphia Eagles Running Back Battle?
