Rashaad Penny is likely to be active against the Cowboys — and is ready to show he’s still explosive

Despite playing just nine offensive snaps this season, Rashaad Penny said he’s faced — like teammate Kenneth Gainwell — criticism on social media this season.

“People say, for example, I’ve lost my explosion,” the Eagles running back said last week. “I haven’t gotten a chance to even show that yet.”

Penny may get that opportunity against the Cowboys on Sunday (4:25 p.m., Fox 29). He’s likely to be active for the first time since Week 2 with Boston Scott out because of a personal matter. He’s still behind D’Andre Swift and Gainwell on the depth chart but should at least take over Scott’s duties as a kick returner.

Penny has been inactive for seven of the Eagles’ first eight games. He dressed for the Vikings game when Gainwell was sidelined with a rib injury. He rushed three times for 9 yards and caught one pass for 5 yards in the victory — hardly enough to suggest that he has lost his explosiveness.

But Penny’s exclusion from the game day roster has been questioned by some, especially considering Gainwell’s struggles.

“I’m just taking them one day at a time,” Penny said Wednesday before it was apparent he would play on Sunday. “One thing about me, I won’t press anything that’s not supposed to be pressed, or [be] frustrated. I’m enjoying this. I’m enjoying it really.

“I’ve never been this healthy this long into my career. So I guess that’s the good aspect of it.”

In his first five NFL seasons — all with the Seahawks — a litany of injuries caused Penny to miss 28 of a possible 66 games. When healthy, the former first-round draft pick was as productive as any back, averaging 5.7 yards a carry.

Over an 11-game stretch during the 2021-22 seasons, he rushed for 1,052 yards on 159 carries (6.6 average) and scored eight touchdowns. He was sixth in the league in yards after contact last year. But his season came to a crashing halt when he fractured his fibula in Week 5.

The Eagles saw the value in acquiring Penny on a one-year, prove-it deal and signed him in March. A month later, they traded for Swift, another oft-injured running back with good numbers when healthy. It was clear early in training camp that coach Nick Sirianni and his assistants preferred Swift and Gainwell to Penny.

And with Scott able to contribute on special teams as more than just a returner, Penny was relegated to the bench in the opener. To some surprise, Gainwell started and played more than Swift against the Patriots.

» READ MORE: The Eagles need Nick Sirianni to be as cool as Jalen Hurts in this big Cowboys matchup

He was out the next game, though, and Swift exploded for 175 yards rushing. He’s been the No. 1 back since. Gainwell hasn’t been buried, though. He had nearly as many touches as Swift when he returned in Week 3 at Tampa. He hasn’t had as many since, and his overall numbers are down.

Gainwell has 51 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown and 14 catches for 73 yards this season. His rushing and receiving averages — 3.0 and 5.2 yards — are well below the averages in his first two seasons combined: 4.4 and 7.5.

He also had two fumbles — the second of which came inside the 5-yard line during the second quarter of Sunday’s game at Washington. At halftime, Gainwell received a direct message on Instagram telling him to, “Hold on to the football you [bleeping] bum.”

He replied, “Lil boy don’t text me.”

Sirianni said Gainwell shouldn’t have responded, but he was steadfast that he remained his No. 2 tailback because “he’s the second best running back on our team” and based off his “whole body of work.”

Gainwell, meanwhile, expressed remorse for his social media gaffe. Penny said he had his teammate’s back.

“People are out to make stories,” he said. “It just brings a negative aspect because you got a lot of people thinking it with a whole credible source. Who do we believe?”

» READ MORE: Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell addresses last week’s social media controversy

As for his readiness or the claims that he isn’t as explosive since his broken leg, Penny said he just needs an opportunity to show he still has it.

“I know eventually, one day, my time will come,” he said. “So, you know, I’m just taking it slowly, still learning, and feeling better than ever.”

The Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.