It was just one play in a long training camp, but on Sunday night, it sure looked like a sign of things to come.
The Eagles were in the red zone, and after getting the ball on a handoff from quarterback Carson Wentz, rookie running back Miles Sanders ran into a line with nowhere to go. Displaying great vision and instincts, Sanders bounced to the outside, turning what was going to be a minimal gain into a 10-yard touchdown.
The play was one of many during training camp that has to have the Eagles' coaches and front office very excited about what Sanders could bring to the offense this season.
For all of the issues the Eagles had on offense last season, perhaps the top one was the lack of a true difference maker out of the backfield. The lack of an elite running back certainly impacted the Eagles on the ground, as they averaged just 3.9 yards-per-attempt, good for 30th in the NFL. The poor showing in the running game came despite having one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the NFL.
Not having a threat out of the backfield also severely impacted what they could do in the passing game as well.
Throwing the ball to the running back is one of the most efficient plays in the NFL, especially early on in downs. Last season, teams averaged 6.02 yards per target when they threw the ball to their running back on first down, and 7.8 yards per reception, according to Warren Sharp's 2019 Football Preview. Throwing the ball to your running back early on in a drive is a trend on offense that the top offensive coaches in the league have started, and something that almost all of the top offenses in the league do.
Last season the Eagles got very little production out of their running backs in the passing game, despite head coach Doug Pederson putting them in prime opportunities to make plays. Pederson has shown an ability during his three-years as a head coach to dial up a screen pass at just the right time, but last season, the team's running backs often didn't make the most of it. Not having a running back he could trust, or wanted to include, in the passing game limited Pederson's ability to do everything he wanted on offense.
So far, Sanders is looking like he will be a player that can change that.
The difference between Sanders and the other running backs on the roster has been crystal clear so far in training camp. The speed in which Sanders hits the hole, the explosion he has in the open field and his ability to turn nothing into something has been obvious to anyone watching him. The Eagles coaches have noticed as well, as Sanders has started to see more-and-more time with the first-team offense. On Sunday night Sanders got more first-team carries than Jordan Howard did, the first-time that has happened in training camp so far.
Sanders has also been surprisingly impressive in the passing game. Although the sample size is small, Sanders has caught three-of-the-four passes thrown his way. He has made one nice catch, pulling in a pass from Wentz early on in training camp that resulted in a roughly 15-yard completion down the field.
Drops were an issue for Sanders at Penn State, as he finished 2018 with three drops and a drop rate of 10.7% on those targets. Among the running backs that had at least 34 targets last season, only three had a higher drop rate. Of the top 50 running backs in targets last season in the FBS, only six had a higher drop rate than Sanders, according to Sports Info Solutions.
The Eagles are confident those drop issues won't follow him to Philadelphia, however, and so far they have been correct. Sanders has looked like a player out of the backfield that the Eagles can get involved in the passing game, opening up a section of the playbook that Pederson hasn't been able to utilize so far during his time with the team.
The Eagles have one of the best collection of weapons on offense in the NFL. They have an elite starting offensive line, they have the best trio of wide receivers, they have two great pass-catching tight ends and they have a quarterback that is projected to win NFL MVP. All they were missing was a difference-making running back.
Although it is still early, it is looking like Howie Roseman has finally found the back this offense needed in Sanders.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
