Though the Philadelphia Eagles finished as a middle-of-the-pack rushing team, no one can say they lack talent at the position. DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing in 2014 and Ryan Mathews has a couple 1,000-yard seasons under his belt as a No.1 RB. As such, there may not be a whole lot of room for gadget back and pass-catcher extraordinaire Darren Sproles.
Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com reports that Sproles could be traded for a mid-round pick this offseason given the expensive investments into Murray and Mathews. Shorr-Parks deems it "unlikely" that Sproles will be outright released, as he's still productive as a third-down back and a speedy return man.
However, the small-statured ball-carried will be 33 when training camp beings and will be due a $3.5 million salary in the final year of his contract next season. Counting that, the Eagles have a whopping $13.5 million in base salary committed to just the running back position alone in 2016. You don't have to be a cap expert to realize that is an inefficient use of your funds.
New head coach Doug Pederson ran a lot of spread and bunch formations as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator from 2013-2015. Should the Eagles decide to keep Sproles or be unable to find a trading partner, the veteran back would be effective in such offensive alignments.
Sproles carried the ball 83 times for 317 yards (3.8 YPC) and three touchdowns this past season. He also caught 55 passes for 388 yards and an additional score. Though aging, Sproles is still a solid returner, racking up 446 yards and two touchdowns on punts in 2015.
Regardless of what the Eagles decide to do with him, it's clear that Sproles can still be a contributor on offense.
