Fansided

5 players who Eagles need to be great in 2019

By Rucker Haringey

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 03: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up prior to the game against the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 03: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up prior to the game against the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 21: Philadelphia Eagles running back Jordan Howard (24) runs with the ball during the Philadelphia Eagles OTA on May 21, 2019 at the Novacare Training Complex in Philadelphia, PA (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 21: Philadelphia Eagles running back Jordan Howard (24) runs with the ball during the Philadelphia Eagles OTA on May 21, 2019 at the Novacare Training Complex in Philadelphia, PA (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Jordan Howard

The Eagles didn’t go into the 2018 season with the intention of giving a ton of carries to Josh Adams, Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement. They expected Jay Ajayi to be their battering room. Unfortunately, he only managed to play in four regular season games before being sidelined with a torn ACL.

Ajayi is still a free agent, but he’s not in the Eagles plans at this point. Instead, the franchise opted to make a trade to bring Jordan Howard into the fold. His physical running style wasn’t a great fit for the Bears offense, but it’s tailor-made for how Pederson likes to grind out yards on the ground.

Essentially, the Eagles need Howard to have the sort of season they hoped Ajayi would have in 2018. They don’t need him to be a breakaway back, but they do need him to keep the chains moving. A viable running game is vital if the Eagles want to keep Wentz upright as much as possible.

Howard isn’t going to get an Ezekiel Elliott-style workload in Philadelphia, but he’s going to see plenty of carries. That makes him a fantasy sleeper and a player that the Eagles offense will really depend on this season. If he can shoulder 200+ carries with an average of over four yards per rush he’s going to be a major boost for this offense.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles