Philadelphia Eagles: 5 offseason needs in 2020

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 05: Miles Sanders #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles carries the ball against Shaquill Griffin #26 of the Seattle Seahawks during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 05, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

1. Continued commitment to the running game

It was one of the quieter stats that came out the Philadelphia Eagles’ 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Quarterback Nick Foles captured MVP honors thanks to three scoring passes, 373 yards through the air and a “special” touchdown reception courtesy of tight end Trey Burton. But what sometimes gets lost in the victory by Doug Pederson’s club is that a potent Philadelphia ground attack that rolled up 164 yards against Bill Belichick’s defenders. It should never really been that big of a surprise considering in 2017, only two teams in the league average for rushing yards per game than these Birds.

But Philadelphia’s ground game has yet to recapture that lofty rankings as of late. Injuries and departures were big factors in the club finishing 28th in rushing offense in 2018. A year ago, general manager Howie Roseman dealt for Bears’ running back Jordan Howard but he was limited by injuries. Rookie Miles Sanders was the team’s top ball-carrier and led an offense that rushed for a respectable 121.2 yards per outing. And the Eagles 454 running plays were the seventh-most in the league.

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It’s worth noting that Howard can become a free agent. But wouldn’t the Birds be wise to retain his services. When healthy, he totaled at least 250 carries in each of this three seasons with the Bears. Teamed with Sanders, Pederson’s club would own quite the 1-2 punch out of the backfield with Corey Clement and Boston Scott providing additional depth.

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