Eagles RB Rashaad Penny: Starter or Cut? No 'In-Between' Scenario
PHILADELPHIA - With training camp rapidly approaching, it’s time to take a look at Philadelphia Eagles running back Rashaad Penny and where he might fit in with the NFC favorites.
Few dispute the talent of Penny but there’s a reason that the 2018 Seattle Seahawks first-round pick was found in the clearance aisle by Howie Roseman for the bargain price of one year for $1.35 million with just $600K of that guaranteed.
A gifted runner who blends impressive power with long speed, an extensive injury history with the Seahawks limited Penny to 38 games of a potential 66 games.
"It's tough," Penny admitted when asked about his injury history. "... That's like the past and I'm looking way far ahead of that. This is really big for me. I'm healthy now. I'm really ready to go."
When on the field, Penny has been among the most dynamic runners in the entire NFL who averaged a college-like 6.2 yards per carry over the past two seasons, the best mark in the entire league over the span.
The advanced numbers match up with that dominance, as Penny finished No. 1 in rushing yards over expected per carry in 2021, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, when he ran for a career-high 749 yards on 119 carries.
Last season, though, Penny was limited to five games after suffering a broken fibula. The good news is that he was medically cleared and participated in offseason work for the Eagles, who started both of their new acquisitions in the backfield – Penny and trade pickup D’Andre Swift – slowly by defaulting to incumbents Boston Scott and Kenny Gainwell when it came to first-team reps.
Few expect that setup to continue over the summer, however, and the plan is for Penny, Swift, or a combination of both to be the replacement for Miles Sanders, the Pro Bowl back coming off a 1,269-yard rushing season who signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency.
For Penny, that has to be the end game, or the Eagles will simply move on and chalk up that $600K as a worthy rounding error to kick the tires on a gifted player.
If Penny reaches the end of August and isn’t at the top of the depth chart or at least the co-lead back with Swift, however, his odds of making the initial 53-man roster are slim.
In fact, there might not be an in-between scenario.
Flashback to Aug. 30 of 2022 when Anthony Harris went from being a starter and the top safety on the roster to unemployed when the Eagles acquired C.J. Gardner-Johnson from the New Orleans Saints.
Age and the inability to help on special teams sent Harris tumbling from No. 1 to No. 5 behind CJGJ, Marcus Epps, K’Von Wallace, and then-undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship.
That’s the science of roster building at work. The best 53 players is a cliche with the more contextual best group of 53 being the finished product that alludes a lot of fans especially when it comes to bigger names like Penny.
The Harris comp is not a perfect one but Penny is a candidate to be the player this year who is either a starter Week 1 or off the roster. That’s because he’s not going to help that much as a third-down or hurry-up option like Swift and Gainwell, who are both excellent receivers. And Penny isn’t going to be part of coach Michael Clay’s special teams units like Boston Scott, who developed into an excellent kickoff returner last season.
If Penny falls behind that group of three, he will be likely out the door in favor of Trey Sermon, a younger player who could be around for a longer period.
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
