Eagles RBs were lone bright spot in Week 2 NFL preseason

The Philadelphia Eagles took on the New England Patriots on Thursday night to open up Week 2 of the NFL preseason. The Eagles did not play most of their starters, which gave more snaps to the second and third-team players.

One position where we saw a lot of guys come in and get some snaps was at running back. Miles Sanders, who did not play in the preseason opener last Thursday against the Steelers, received a couple of carries in the first quarter. After Sanders, four other running backs saw time in the 35-0 preseason defeat.

Stats

Elijah Holyfield led the way with a team-high 31 yards on 4 carries and added 2 receptions for 5 yards. Rookie Kenneth Gainwell was the team’s second-leading rusher with 21 yards on 5 carries. He was also produced 3 receptions for 23 yards. Sanders had 13 rushing yards on 2 carries, Boston Scott recorded 10 rushing yards on 3 carries, and Jordan Howard had 8 yards on 3 carries.

Analysis

Despite only receiving two snaps in Thursday night’s preseason game, Miles Sanders will enter Week 1 as the Eagles’ starting running back. Sanders is looking to have his first 1,000-yard rushing season going into his third year. Boston Scott and Jordan Howard will serve as the backups behind Sanders this season. Scott is more of a change of pace back, who can be a factor in the passing game, while Howard could see snaps in short-yardage situations.

As for Gainwell, he’ll likely make the squad as a fifth-round pick and can be used across the formation. The former Memphis standout had a couple of nice runs and showcased his pass catching ability out of the backfield. Gainwell could be this team’s Nyheim Hines, who head coach Nick Sirianni had in his offense in Indianapolis.