Assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley wasn't feeling any stress as the days in the offseason melted away and the Eagles had the same running backs room as they did in the injury-ravaged 2018 season. And then, in a span of a month, the Eagles traded for Jordan Howard and drafted Miles Sanders and, all of a sudden, the idea of a "Thunder and Lightning" backfield seemed possible.
"Adding those two to our core makes this an extremely competitive situation. I can't wait for the pads to go on. We'll find out how it looks then, not now when they're running around in shorts," Staley said in the spring.
Staley insists that the Eagles are going to "spread the ball around" the backs and that selflessness is going to be important. Staley says that Howard's skill set is "through the roof" and Staley has "no doubts" that Sanders, sidelined for much of the spring with a hamstring tweak, will transition well into the Eagles' offense.
"Both of those guys add to what we can do, and when you mix them in with Corey (Clement), Wendell (Smallwood), Josh (Adams), Boston (Scott), and Pump (Donnel Pumphrey), you're looking at a group that is going to push each other and make the best of each other," Staley said. "I think running back could be the position to watch in Training Camp. That's how excited I am about this group."
