The Eagles signed Elijah Holyfield on Tuesday, adding a new running back to their roster just five days before their playoff matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.
To make room for Holyfield the Eagles placed defensive end Daeshon Hall on injured reserve.
Here are to know about Holyfield:
*** Holyfield, 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, rushed for 1,018 yards on 159 carries with seven touchdowns during his final season at Georgia despite splitting the backfield with other running backs. He went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, but signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.
*** Holyfield was release by the Panthers during final cut downs, but was signed to their practice squad.
*** Holyfield ran a 4.78-yard 40 during the NFL Combine, a time that obviously hurt his draft stock. Although he is not fast, Holyfield is strong and is considered at his best running between the tackles.
*** Yes, Holyfield's dad is Evander Holyfield.
*** So what does this mean for the Eagles? The decision to sign Holyfield right now could mean two things. First, it could mean they need him for Sunday, which would mean either Miles Sanders or Jordan Howard won't be playing. Chances are this has more to do with Howard than Sanders, as Sanders has an ankle sprain but is expected to play. This could mean the team would rather put in Holyfield over Howard if Sanders were to go down and they were left with only Boston Scott. The Eagles playing Howard only one snap last week, even after Sanders went down and the game was still close, is a strong sign they are not comfortable at this point putting him in the game.
The signing could also simply be that the Eagles like Holyfield and want to have him under their control this offseason, and with an open roster spot, decided to grab him now.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
