NFL free agency: Eagles sign former first-round pick Rashaad Penny as potential Miles Sanders replacement

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The Philadelphia Eagles added another potential star to their flamboyant attack on Tuesday. According to Network’s Ian Rapoport, the reportedly agreed to sign former Seattle Seahawks running back Rashad Penny.

The terms Penny’s contract with the Eagles were not immediately available.

The 27-year-old Penny has averaged 6.2 yards per rush over the past two seasons, though that statistic comes with a major drawback. Penny has struggled with a number injuries in his career and has played only 15 matches in the last two years.

When healthy, Penny looks like a superstar. He won multiple fantasy championships in 2021 when he exploded for 706 yards and 6 touchdowns in the final 6 weeks the season. Penney looked to build on that performance in 2022, but was limited to just 5 games due to a broken fibula.

Penny has had injury problems over the past two seasons as well. He was limited to 10 games in 2019 after tearing his ACL. He returned in 2020 playing in just 3 games.

The Eagles Are The Perfect Landing Place For Rashaad Penny

Penny’s long injury history may be less a factor in Philadelphia. The Eagles boast one of the offensive lines in football, which should allow Penny to avoid large pileups at the line scrimmage. The Eagles also like to rotate their running backs, which means Penny can rest more often when Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott work into the rotation. The also features Jalen Hurts, one the best goal line quarterbacks in the NFL. Hurts should take some of the focus off Penny, especially in short-yardage situations.

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If – and it’s a big if – Penny can stay healthy, he could thrive on an elite Eagles rushing attack.

Miles Sanders May Drop Out of Philadelphia

The move appears to signal the end of the Miles Sanders era in Philadelphia. Sanders, a former second-round pick, turned in a career-year in 2022, with 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He headed back to the top of the market in free agency, after Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs both received the franchise tag from their teams. Sanders should draw a fair amount of interest from other franchises, though the availability of Los Angeles back Austin Eckler could temporarily hold Sanders’ market.