May 17, 2017
The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Wednesday they they signed former New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount to a one-year deal.
The deal is worth "up to" $2.8 million, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, which means that it undoubtedly includes incentives, especially considering the Eagles don't even presently have $2.8 million in salary cap space.
As a workhorse for the Patriots a season ago, Blount racked up 299 carries for 1161 yards (3.9 YPC) and 18 TDs.
With free agency and the 2017 NFL Draft in the books, one of the Eagles' remaining glaring needs heading into the regular season is a running back who can run in between the tackles and pick up first downs on short yardage. The Eagles drafted the diminutive Donnel Pumphrey in the fourth round of the draft, but with Ryan Mathews still almost certain to be released whenever he passes a physical, here's a look at the Eagles' top three running backs, and their size:
| Player | Height | Weight |
| Darren Sproles | 5'6 | 190 |
| Wendell Smallwood | 5'10 | 208 |
| Donnel Pumphrey | 5'9 | 170 |
| AVERAGE | 5'8 | 189 |
Blount makes sense as a complementary big back to the Eagles stable of smaller, shifty runners. He was especially good last season in third- and fourth-and short situations.
| LeGarrette Blount | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 3rd and 1-2 | 14 | 53 | 3.8 | 3 |
| 4th and 1-2 | 5 | 54 | 10.8 | 2 |
| 3rd or 4th and 1-2 (TOTAL of the above) | 19 | 107 | 5.6 | 5 |
Blount will turn 31 in December, so he is a short term fix, though a productive one.
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