September 25, 2017
Three games into what he said would likely be his final season in the NFL, Darren Sproles tore his ACL and broke his arm on the same play, according to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN:
Eagles RB Darren Sproles tore his ACL and broke his arm on same play, sources tell @mortreport and me. Surgery on arm today, knee later.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 25, 2017
Sproles' torn ACL will end his season, and possibly his career, unless he changes his mind about retiring. On the play, Sproles appeared to hurt his knee before he was hit by New York Giants safety Darian Thompson:
Doctors looked at Sproles' knee, as well as his arm, before he walked into the locker room on his own power.
On the field, Sproles is the Eagles' most well-rounded running back, as he can run inside, run outside, be a weapon in the passing game, and he's easily the team's best back in pass protection. Obviously, because of his small size, however, Sproles has been never been used as a 'workhorse' type of back, but he is typically on the field in the Eagles' most crucial situations.
Additionally, Sproles' contributions over the years as a punt returner cannot be discounted. The Eagles have won games they otherwise might not have, if not for big plays on special teams from Sproles. With Sproles out, the next punt returner in line is Torrey Smith, who before Sunday had never returned a punt in the NFL, and had only one punt return attempt in college. That could be a concern going forward.
Off the field, the Eagles will be losing one of the most respected players in the locker room.
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