Eagles RBs: Surprise Leader Set to Emerge from New Backfield?

The Philadelphia Eagles have three serviceable backs, but only one can lead the team in touches by the end of the year.

A lot of people have referred to the Philadelphia Eagles' offseason as a 'rich getting richer' type of experience.

Despite several losses in free agency, the Eagles somehow appear to have an even better team this year than they did in their run to the Super Bowl last season, depending on how the new pieces blend in with current ones. 

Two of those new players for Philadelphia are running backs Rashaad Penny and D'Andre Swift.

According to NFL.com, however, neither of them will be the running back to lead the Eagles in touches this coming season. 

"The Eagles will likely rotate Rashaad Penny, D'Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield in an effort to keep them all healthy," NFL.com writes. "Don't discount Gainwell winding up with the most touches. He's an ascending player who led the team's running backs in snaps in the Super Bowl and is the only one of the trio signed past 2023."

While we don't necessarily think the contract situations will dictate which back gets what split of the workload, there's certainly some merit to thinking Philadelphia could lean on Gainwell more this season, especially in the early going. 

None of the three led their teams in offensive snaps by a running back in the previous season, but the Eagles' leader in that category, Miles Sanders is no longer with the team, so someone has to take the top spot here. 

Of the three options, Swift led the trio in snaps last year with 393 for the Detroit Lions while Gainwell had 331 in Philadelphia and Penny got 170 with the Seattle Seahawks.

However, Penny got his snaps in just five games and missed the rest of the season with a broken fibula. Swift also missed time last season because of multiple injuries but did play in 14 of 17 possible contests.

Gainwell got roughly half as many snaps for the Eagles' offense as Sanders did in the regular season, but as NFL.com points out he out-snapped his backfield teammate 95 to 76 in the playoffs. 

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