The Philadelphia Eagles must scatter touches around their three-headed backfield, yet Darren Sproles wants more opportunities.
According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sproles wouldn’t acknowledge if he felt misused because he isn’t even on the field to make that determination.
“Things get kind of frustrating. You know what I’m saying? You’re standing on the sidelines. It’s kind of frustrating. But what can you do?”
During the offseason, Philadelphia traded away LeSean McCoy and ultimately replaced him with DeMarco Murray. However, the head-scratching decision was adding Ryan Mathews as well because the Eagles already had a third-down back in Sproles.
Murray was a big-name free agent, Mathews fit the system and Sproles was already a notable part of the Philly attack. The easiest alternative to the logjam in the backfield was to use Sproles as a slot receiver, but the offense has strayed from sending the shifty back out wide.
After averaging 10.7 offensive touches in the first three games of 2015, the veteran has managed an even 6.0 per contest. He’s recorded 40 more offensive snaps than Mathews, per Football Outsiders, yet has 21 fewer touches.
While Sproles also returns punts, that can be a hit-or-miss part of his involvement depending on a kick’s hangtime and the coverage.
Philadelphia would be wise to push Sproles’ offensive role up into the low double-digit totals, because he’s a potentially dynamic piece that needs a few more chances.