Taking stock of the Eagles’ running back committee a week into training camp

Boston Scott could hardly contain his excitement.

The Eagles’ running back rotation has undergone plenty of change since last year and with it comes a noticeable difference in how the group is used. There’s been an apparent uptick in passes to the backs in the first week of training camp, both coming out of the backfield or when split out wide or in the slot.

When asked about the extra targets to him and his position mates after Tuesday’s practice, Scott let out a downright giddy “Yeah!” before collecting himself and toeing the company line.

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“I mean — well, I’ve got to look at it — I don’t know,” Scott said while reinserting a seriousness in his tone. “It feels like it, but I don’t know if that’s just the way it’s worked out, progression-wise or what, but it definitely feels like we’re touching the ball a little bit more both in the run game and the pass game.”

Scott’s feeling is well placed. Particularly thanks to newcomer D’Andre Swift, there’s reason to believe the Eagles could use their backs differently this season as they have early in camp. The position group as a whole has more talent top to bottom than it did last year with Swift and Rashaad Penny helping replace what the Eagles lost in Miles Sanders, who signed with Carolina in free agency.

With only so many carries and targets to go around, here’s how the Eagles running backs have looked in the first week of camp.

Swift’s involvement with the first-team offense should come as no surprise given his pedigree and production in the NFL, but the amount of work he has gotten in the passing game has been instructive. His role is starting to come into focus. He has been a receiving target from various alignments, even lining up as a receiver at times.

According to Pro Football Focus, Swift was targeted on 28.2% of his routes run in Detroit last season, which was No. 2 in the league behind only Chargers running back Austin Ekeler. Jalen Hurts targeted running backs just 11.3% of the time last season, which was one of the lowest rates in the league.

There’s plenty of reasons Hurts seldom threw to running backs last season. A good amount of Hurts’ throws came on run-pass options or play action, which takes the running back out of the route progression because of the run fake. Hurts is also more reluctant to throw check downs to running backs on underneath routes because of his ability to extend plays and gain yards on his own.

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Sanders, the lead back last season, had just 20 receptions for 78 yards during the regular season. Kenneth Gainwell, a capable receiver in college at Memphis, had 23 catches for 169 yards.

“Your offense is based off of your skill, first of all, and the players that you have,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said on Sunday. “It’s foolish for us to do something that our guys can’t do. ... We’re excited about what [Swift] brings. We love what Kenny has done out of the backfield as well.”

Swift should offer an upgrade receiving out of the backfield, but he should also give the coaching staff an even greater opportunity to mix up formations with different personnel groupings. Last season, the Eagles would work in plays with Sanders or Gainwell split out wide, sometimes with pre-snap motion, to get defenses to tip off their coverages.

With Swift’s skill set, it’s easy to see the staff using him this way to identify coverages and get him favorable matchups.

Penny hasn’t had many splash plays during camp, but his production when healthy during his career is reason enough to believe he could still earn a significant role.

Penny is the Eagles’ biggest and most physical runner of the group. He’s listed at 5-foot-11, 220 pounds, but he told reporters Sunday that he went from 237 pounds to 230 during the offseason at the Eagles’ behest. The former San Diego State standout, who has battled a handful of major leg injuries since the Seahawks drafted him 27th overall in 2018, said his goal is to be down to 225 pounds by the start of the season to ease the load on his legs.

“We’re working to just get even lower,” Penny said. “I want to get back to being in college shape, back to 225 and just moving better. Just me cutting off a couple pounds from last year, I just feel lighter, my ankles feel great and my knees feel amazing.”

If Penny, 27, can stay on the field (a big “if”), he could continue on as one of the most efficient runners in the NFL. According to Next Gen Stats, Penny led the league in rushing yards over expectation per attempt in 2021, netting 2 yards per carry more than his blocking should have offered him.

He also has led running backs in average yards after contact each of the past two seasons — albeit on limited carries because of injuries — which suggests he’ll flash more during games rather than practices without live tackling.

“Having the pads on was really a good thing for him because I feel like that’s where he really excels as a runner,” Scott said of Penny. “But from a versatility standpoint, the dude can catch the ball. He runs some crisp routes, too. That’s the part that people don’t realize. ... But I’m really excited to watch him and how he runs between the tackles.”

When it comes to blitz pickup, the Eagles’ running backs have a simple mantra.

Listen to the damn center.

Going into his third year, Gainwell said the biggest area he’d like to improve is his pass protection out of the backfield. He struggled to contain Nicholas Morrow during one-on-ones against blitzing linebackers during camp on Tuesday. Gainwell wants to bring more pop at the point of impact.

“I just want to be more firm,” Gainwell said. “Want to be more smooth, knowing the points from [Jason] Kelce and knowing everything I’ve got to do from Lane [Johnson] to Jordan [Mailata], just want to be more smooth on pass protecting.”

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Gainwell, 24, is coming off a postseason stretch in which he put up career numbers with an expanded role, overtaking Sanders in playing time. Although he was billed as a capable receiving back coming into the NFL, Gainwell has been just as effective in short-yardage situations and finding space on zone runs during the first two years of his career. He’s shown a capability of running option routes out of the backfield, although the Eagles used him sparingly in that capacity. He gained 4.5 yards per carry last season, but jumped to 5.5 in the playoffs.

Gainwell said he’s trying to build off his postseason success, which also featured a 112-yard rushing performance against the New York Giants in the NFC divisional round, to challenge for a prominent role in the backfield.

“They believed in me and gave me the opportunity, I just took advantage of it,” Gainwell said. “It’s just like in college, I took advantage of the opportunity they gave me then. I’m just going to take advantage of every opportunity they give me.”

As for Scott, training camp has featured him shining on a couple of nice plays and filling a reserve role in the offense that the five-year veteran has grown accustomed to over the last few seasons with the Eagles.

Scott had a nice gain on a screen pass sprung by a highlight-worthy block from Jason Kelce during Tuesday’s practice. Even in a crowded running back room, Scott said he’s eager to help his younger teammates.

“I have a lot of confidence in myself,” Scott said. “I’m never going to back down from a challenge. ... At the same time, I love those guys. They’re all great dudes. I tell them all the time, ‘Let me be a resource for you,’ just from understanding the playbook. I want everybody to do their best; we’re all going to ascend.”