Chip Kelly finally lands his north-south running back -- and yet another player with major injury concerns.
Free agent running back Ryan Mathews is expected to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Mike Garafalo of Fox Sports. Additional details about Chip Kelly's latest possible addition are still emerging, but Mathews is apparently something of a "plan B" after Frank Gore spurned an initial agreement with the team to take an offer from the Colts.
Mathews, 27, is heading to a new team for the first time in his career after spending his first five seasons with the San Diego Chargers, where he was selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. His time with the Chargers was plagued by injuries -- he played in all 16 games just one time in his five-year career. He missed 10 games last season with an MCL injury and an ankle injury.
Mathews managed to start 14 games only twice in his career, in 2011 and 2013. He racked up 2,346 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in those two years combined, including a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2011. He tallied only 330 yards and three touchdowns in his final season, though, while battling knee and ankle injuries. He eventually took a backseat to Branden Oliver during the stretch run of the 2014 season.
Except for the injuries, the Fresno State product offers a similar package of skills as Gore and Mark Ingram, two other backs the Eagles chased. He fits what Kelly wants to do on offense by adding a true north-south running back for an inside zone system.
The Eagles also have Darren Sproles and Chris Polk at running back, which means they won't need to lean on Mathews for a heavy workload. If that can help him stay healthy and if they can work out a relatively low-risk kind of prove-it deal, it could turn out to be a net plus for the team. But like every other move the Eagles have made so far this offseason, it's just another question mark for now.
Source SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1NJrliR
No comments:
Post a Comment