Penny On The Dollar

In a clear sign the Eagles are moving on from Miles Sanders, the team on Tuesday agreed to terms with former Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny, a powerful runner and former first-round pick whose promising career has been derailed by major injuries.

The Eagles signed Penny to a 1-year deal, sources confirmed to Inside The Birds’ Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher.

Penny, who has averaged 6.1 yards per carry during his six-year career with Seattle, is a 5-foot-11, 210-pound tenacious runner who’ll have a chance in 2023 to prove he can stay healthy and emerge into the reliable franchise back he was expected to be in Seattle before the Seahawks moved onto Kenneth Walker, their 2022 second-round pick who rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a rookie.

GETTY IMAGES: Rashaad Penny, a 2018 first-round pick, will have a chance to prove his worth for one year with the Eagles.

Penny joins a running back group that includes promising third-year pro Kenneth Gainwell and backup Trey Sermon, a 2021 third-round pick by the 49ers who lasted just one season in San Francisco. The team could also re-signed free agent backup Boston Scott, per the NFL Network.

The versatile Scott joined the team in 2018 after being signed off the Saints’ practice squad and since 2019 has played a role in the team’s rotation, totaling 1,723 total yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 4,7 yards per carry.

But team is be moving on from Sanders, a 2019 second-round pick who came off his best season, rushing for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns while making his first Pro Bowl. The former Penn State star became a free agent this week and said goodbye on social media shortly after the Penny news broke.

To the city of Philadelphia Thank You from the bottom of my heart. 🫶🏾

— Miles Sanders (@BoobieMilesXXIV) March 14, 2023

Penny’s prove-it deal gives him the opportunity to showcase his abilities behind arguably the NFL’s best offensive line and in a rotation that can reduce his carries.

Penny has been highly productive when healthy, but his litany of injuries includes a broken fibula and tibia, fractured finger, knee strain, hamstring strain, ACL tear, and thigh sprain.

The 27-year-old Penny has never played more than 10 games in a season since his 14-game rookie year and has played just 18 games over the past three seasons.

Penny isn’t much of a pass-catcher – he has 27 receptions in five seasons – but has twice averaged more than 6.0 yards per carry in a single season, including an NFL-best 6.3 in 2021, when he played 10 games.

He has seven career 100-yard games, including 190 and 170, despite never having more than 25 carries in a game.  Five times he’s had 100 or more rushing yards on 17 or fewer carries.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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