Should The Eagles Bring Darren Sproles Back?

I could see it being a possibility that later on in the off-season, closer to training camp or maybe during training camp the Eagles decide to make an offer to veteran running back Darren Sproles.   Right now, there’s no need to do that because they want to get a look at some of these young players like Boston Scott.  They want them to get some reps.   They want to see if any of these guys are capable of stepping in and filling that third down role.  They’re also waiting to see about the health of Corey Clement.

There is no question that Sproles was a great third down back.  He may have been the best to ever fill that role in the league history.  He was great running option routes on linebackers and defensive backs.  Sproles did a great job of hiding behind his offensive linemen on draws and exploding downfield.  He was lethal in one-on-one situations in the open field.  He was lightning quick, deceptively strong and tough as they come. On top of that he could run all day long.  The other guys would be out of breath, but he would continue working like he could do it forever.  The little guy was nearly impossible to tackle one-on-one in the open field.

Unfortunately, I do think that Sproles is at the end of the road.   He’s gone from Mr. Durable to being hurt all the time now.  Who knows he may have plays left that he can make, usually when veterans start getting injured year after year, it never stops.  Maybe he can do it again for another year, but it’s hard to forget how long it took him to come back from a hamstring strain last year.  He must have missed more than two months of the season because of a strained hamstring.  At first it was going to take a couple to maybe a few weeks, but swallowed up most of the season. Sproles had been durable throughout his career but last year his body didn’t respond.  That happens as you get older.

The veteran running back has been hurt the the last couple years.   He had the ACL tear and broken forearm in 2017 season, then last year it was a hamstring injury which put him on he shelf.  Let me say it again, I think that hamstring injury tells us a lot about the 2019 Sproles.  The hamstring injury sat him down for as much as 8 weeks.  Again that shows that a player is at the end of the road when he does not return from injuries that were thought to be very minor.   Week after week we expected Sproles to return the action and he didn’t.   So that’s the question you have to ask yourself about him.  Can he stay healthy?

Still I realize that it may get to the point where they don’t have anybody to fill that role and they welcome him back, but still you don’t want an injury prone 36-year-old running back that you depending on.  I think that Spose maybe Hall of Fame running back and kick returner but remember everybody in the Hall of Fame is retired.