PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles head coach Doug Pederson acknowledged that the loss of running back Darren Sproles to injury is a big blow, but he said the team was going to have to adopt "that next-man mentality" with more than three quarters of the season to play.
It's going to have to be a group effort to replace the versatile Sproles, who served as a dual threat out of the backfield while also handling punt return duties.
Sunday's 27-24 win over the New York Giants offered a glimpse into what life without Sproles might look like. The 34-year-old standout was lost for the year in the first half with what turned out to be a broken forearm and torn ACL suffered on the same play. The ground game was paced by LeGarrette Blount (12 carries, 67 yards, TD) and Wendell Smallwood (12 carries, 71 yards), with rookie Corey Clement (six carries, 22 yards, TD) chipping in as well.
It appears Smallwood will take on some of the responsibilities held by Sproles prior to the injury.
"I think Wendell on third down specifically, Corey as well, they're going to have to step up and assume that role," Pederson said.
Smallwood (5-foot-10, 208 pounds), the second-year back out of West Virginia, created some buzz this summer before being slowed by a hamstring injury. Possessing a decent mix of power and speed, he can run between the tackles and off the edge and could develop into a quality receiving option out of the backfield. He has been inconsistent to this point in his young career, however, and is still very much a work in progress when it comes to pass protection. Like Clement, he wasn't asked to do a ton of pass protection on the college level. Sproles was very adept in this area despite his stature. If Smallwood and/or Clement don't mature as pass blockers (and quickly), that could spell trouble for quarterback Carson Wentz.
Smallwood, Blount and Clement should all see an increase in carries in the coming weeks.
Pederson indicated that they'll look to add a back in the near future as Sproles heads to injured reserve. A logical candidate is former Oregon Duck Byron Marshall, who's on the Eagles' practice squad.
The head coach called the Sproles injury "devastating" when you factor in the special-teams aspect. Sproles, who ranks eighth all time in all-purpose yards (19,155), is as good as it gets as a punt returner. Taking his spot at the moment will be receiver Torrey Smith, who returned kicks in college but had only one punt return to his name. Similarly, he has had very limited work in the pros.
There will be a significant drop-off in experience both on offense and special teams. It will take a collective effort to try and fill the holes left by one of the more unique and prolific players in NFL history.