Eagles agree to terms with free-agent running back Rashaad Penny as Miles Sanders says thanks to Philly

The Eagles’ running back rotation got significantly clearer on Tuesday.

After entering the offseason with just one running back under contract, the Eagles agreed to terms with free agent Rashaad Penny and veteran Boston Scott, according to league sources.

Penny agreed to a one-year deal with a $1.35 million base salary, $600,000 guaranteed, and a max value of $2.1 million, while Scott will make roughly $2 million on a one-year contract, according to NFL Network.

In Penny, the Eagles are making an upside play. The Seattle Seahawks selected the former San Diego State standout in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft, but injuries have kept him from realizing his potential.

That said, Penny has shown flashes of elite play, albeit in short spurts with two significant injuries mixed in between. He notably ran for 129 yards on 14 carries against the Eagles in 2019, which was the best game of his career to that point. A few weeks later, he tore his ACL and wasn’t quite the same player for roughly two years.

He found his footing in December 2021, rushing for 100-plus yards in three straight games to finish the year, including a 190-yard performance against the Arizona Cardinals in the final game of the regular season. Last year, Penny played five games before suffering a season-ending leg injury, logging 57 carries for 346 yards and two touchdowns.

Penny’s running style is best defined by his ability to run through arm tackles and break off explosive rushes with home-run speed. He has been near the top of the league in average yards after first contact each of the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus. He ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash in 2018 and has been top-five in breakaway percentage, which measures how often a runner gains 15 yards or more, each of the last two seasons as well.

Penny’s productivity will largely depend on his health going into this season. He’s coming off a broken tibula and ankle injury that required surgery, although Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he was expected to make a full recovery shortly after the team announced the injury.

“He’s been through such a long haul, it’s really just a heartbreaking loss for him,” Carroll said on a local radio show last year. “He’s been doing great and everybody can see it, and we’ve been so excited for him. He’s going to miss the rest of this year. He’ll come back, he’ll be able to play again and all of that. It’s a really clear surgery process and all of that, but it just does take a long time.”

Scott figures to resume his role as a return specialist and reserve running back. The 27-year-old has spent five seasons with the Eagles and has become a veteran presence with the team. He had 54 carries for 217 yards and three touchdowns last season.

With Penny and Scott in the fold and third-year running back Kenneth Gainwell flourishing during the Eagles’ playoff run, Tuesday’s deals likely signal the end for Miles Sanders’ tenure with the Eagles.

The former second-round pick led the group in carries last season, rushing for 1,269 yards and 12 touchdowns on 259 attempts. Sanders thanked Eagles fans for their support in a social media post shortly after Penny’s deal was reported, further suggesting the former Penn State standout will be signing elsewhere after four years with the team.

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Gainwell started eating into Sanders’ share of touches during the playoffs and capitalized on the extra carries enough to suggest he’ll be a bigger part of the rotation next year. The 2021 fifth-round pick ran for 181 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ three playoff games.

That said, the Eagles could still stand to add another back later in free agency or in the draft to fill out the committee, which currently lacks a clear frontrunner for a featured role. This year’s class of running back prospects is considered one of the deepest in recent memory.