To some, the running back position was “down” of some sorts and I respectfully disagree with that statement because there were many running backs that had productive seasons. David Johnson did wonders for the Arizona Cardinals, Le’Veon Bell was finally healthy for the Steelers and was available for the playoffs and how could we forget what Ezekiel Elliott did as a rookie for the Dallas Cowboys? Yes, he has the luxury of running with the best offensive line in the business but still, let’s not take away what he did especially in his first season with a storied franchise. LeGarrette Blount also had a nice season for the New England Patriots and of course under Bill Belichick, he’ll always bring out the best in players that you don’t expect. Today, Blount signed a one-year-deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
I’m a big time fan of this move because this gives the Eagles depth and most importantly balance within their offense because let’s be realistic here, the Eagles haven’t had a solid running back probably since the days of LeSean McCoy. The DeMarco Murray experiment failed as he was misused within that offense and Ryan Mathews can’t stay healthy at all. Then you also have Darren Sproles, but he’s a third down back that you can use in certain situations and he’s getting older and doesn’t have much longer. With Blount, you get that “hammer” within your offense. He’s six feet tall, 250 pounds and a very physical runner. He’s downhill and a north-south runner that can fit his way through the holes and get yards the hard-fought way. Just like Marshawn Lynch, he’s extremely difficult to bring down and he could bring five defenders with him into the end zone if possible. Despite his size and build, he has the ability to play smaller as if he were a finesse back. He can make people miss in the open field which is a very underrated aspect of his game.
He had a career year with the Patriots in 2016. He finished the season with 1,161 yards rushing which was the eighth-highest total in the league and he led the league in rushing touchdowns with 18. The Eagles offense will now feature Carson Wentz, Jordan Matthews, Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Zach Ertz and now they’ve signed Blount. This move has put them back in the mix for the division.
