Eagles Coach Delivers High Praise For Backup: "He's A Great Football Player"

The Philadelphia Eagles head coach watched cutups of all the third downs his team had since 2021 and this players stood out.

Oct 27, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) reacts after a play against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – What he does in the shadows isn’t always easy to see, or appreciate, and he may have to go elsewhere after his contract expires at the end of the season to try to earn a player of the week award or a FedEx Ground player of the week award, like Saquon Barkley has consistently done this season.

IBarkley’s shadow covers Kenny Gainwell, just as it was D’Andre Swift’s last year and Miles Sanders’ the previous two seasons. For now, Kenny Gainwell does what he is asked, no matter how much or how little.

Head coach Nick Sirianni talked about how Gainwell showed up on a tape he had put together of all the Eagles’ third-down plays and cued it up for the 10-hour flight to Sao Paulo for the season opener against the Packers.

“On our way to Brazil, I watched every third down we had here in the past three years,” said Sirianni. “Long trip; nothing to do. Someone gave me a couple of shows to watch, and I just wanted to watch tape instead. Anyway, Kenny Gainwell was all over that tape, making plays all over that tape.”

That says a lot about Sirianni, too, when people wonder what his role is. Who else has watched every third down the Eagles had since 2021?

As for Gainwell, he was the driving force on the Eagles' first drive that ended in a touchdown during their 26-18 win against the Commanders last Thursday. He ripped off three straight runs, going 14, 13, and 7 yards to put the Eagles at the Washington 11, a drive that Jalen Hurts finished with a tush-push touchdown.

It was one of three TDs the Eagles scored in the final quarter to put the game out of reach.

“We felt we were one (play) off,” said Barkley. “It really started with Kenny. He got things going and opened it up for me a little bit.”

Gainwell is in the final year of his rookie contract and could be headed for greener pastures, where he will get more opportunities, especially with the Eagles drafting Will Shipley in the fourth round last spring.

Eagles RB Kenny Gainwell / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

The most rushes Gainwell has had since being drafted in the fifth round out of Memphis in 2021 was 84 last year, which also led to his career high for yards in a season at 364. As a rookie, he scored five rushing touchdowns and has 11 in his career.

This year, he has 42 carries for 197 yards after getting 43 yards on four runs against the Commanders, and he added kickoff duties to his resume, averaging 24.8 yards per return on nine of them.

“Kenny has always taken advantage of his opportunities,” said Sirianni. “This year is no different. I think Kenny is doing the same things he's done here since the moment I got here. And that he got here, too. We came in together.”

Sirianni recalled a Week 11 game against the Saints when Gainwell was inactive.

“He was like, ‘That ain't happening to me again,’ and it hasn't,” said the coach. “He's such a reliable football player. We've had faith in Kenny – again, not blind faith, we've had faith because of the way he's produced here since very early on. And he continues to be that guy that we can have faith in.

“You ask the guys on this team what they think about Kenny Gainwell, everyone will say the same thing. There is a reason he's been on this team for four years and has made some very significant plays. It's because we love him. We think he's a great teammate. We think he’s a great football player.”

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