Eagles' Formula for Paying RBs is Easy - It's All About the Offensive Line

Miles Sanders found a deal he liked, but the Eagles are content with paying their four running backs little more than peanuts

The Eagles follow a fairly easy formula when it comes to their backfield – don’t overpay.

They simply don’t have to do that. Not with an offensive line charged with opening holes and does a better job at that than anyone else in the league. 

And not with a quarterback like Jalen Hurts, whose threat to run on any given play makes it easier for whoever is carrying the ball for the Eagles.

Even $25 million over four years was too much for them. That was the deal Miles Sanders signed with the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday night.

It’s a good deal for Sanders coming off a career season with 1,269 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, both career-highs. And he will be just 26 on May 1.

The Eagles feel they got a good deal in Rashaad Penny – a low-risk, high-reward player.

If he can stay out of the trainer’s room and play more than 10 games, something he hasn’t done since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2018, the 5-11, 220-pounder should do great damage behind Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson and whoever lines up at right guard, probably Cam Jurgens.

As for the total dollars the Eagles are spending on the running back room, it’s peanuts.

The four runners will make just over $5M. That’s it. That's the total.

Penny will earn for $1.35M, but the contract can hit $2.1 if certain incentives are met.

Boston Scott will make $2M.

Kenny Gainwell has a base salary of $940,000K.

Trey Sermon will get $1.1M.

A rookie running back could be added in the draft, but not likely in the first round, so whoever comes in, if anybody, won’t add more to the Eagles’ RB total.

Meanwhile, in Dallas and New York, running backs Tony Pollard and Saquon Barkley will each play on the franchise tag, as of now, which is about $10M for each. It would have been in Dallas had they not released Ezekiel Elliott on Wednesday.

Had they kept the veteran, the Cowboys would be paying Pollard and Elliott about $26M.

Which approach has been better?

The Eagles have been to two Super Bowls in five years.

The Giants and Cowboys have not.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.