The Philadelphia Eagles, like every team in the NFL, are going to have some tough decisions to make in the coming days. Next week is cutdown day, which means every team is going to have to pare their roster down to 53 players, the maximum allowed during the regular season.
There are going to be a lot of good players on the move, as teams will look to make trades before releasing players so that they can get something of value in return. Who could the Eagles look to move on from?
Seth Trachtman of Yard Barker put together a list of players who could be on the chopping block after training camp. For the Eagles, Trachtman went with a bit of a surprise selection, naming running back Elijah Penny as a potential cut candidate.
“Averaging over six yards per carry over the last two seasons in Seattle, there were high hopes Penny would run away with the starting job in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, he’s been upstaged by Kenneth Gainwell and D’Andre Swift early in camp, and the Eagles could look elsewhere for a backup with Penny’s history of injuries”
The Eagles signed Penny in free agency to a one-year deal after Miles Sanders departed, signing a deal with the Carolina Panthers. There has never been a doubt about Penny’s skills, as he produces at a high clip whenever he is on the field. Staying on the field, however, has been a challenge.
The 2018 first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks has appeared in only 42 games in five seasons. He has missed at least two games in each season of his career while playing in five or fewer in two out of the last three.
With Kenneth Gainwell looking as if he will earn a bigger role in 2023 and the team re-signing Boston Scott, there is a bit of a logjam in the backfield. D’Andre Swift could form a solid trio with them and Trey Sermon remains on the roster for now as well.
It would be shocking to see the Eagles keep five running backs on their 53-man roster. This could very easily be a position that one or two players are cut from, especially when you take into account the impact that quarterback Jalen Hurts has on the ground game.
