The Philadelphia Eagles backfield got a lot less crowded on Saturday afternoon. First, they released Josh Adams. Now, they are parting ways with fellow running back Wendell Smallwood, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
For an Eagles backfield that also included Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Corey Clement, and Darren Sproles, the fact that they have had to make some cuts is not too surprising.
Smallwood, who played his collegiate football at West Virginia, was originally selected by Philadelphia in the fifth round (153rd pick overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
He played in 13 games during his rookie campaign, carrying the ball 77 times for 312 yards and a touchdown. He ended the season on the injured reserve list.
Then, the following year, Smallwood appeared in just eight contests and was far less productive, totaling 174 yards and a score off of 47 attempts.
Smallwood's best season came last year, when he participated in all 16 games and registered 364 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per carry. In addition, he hauled in 28 receptions for 230 yards and a couple of scores.
But, when Philly drafted Sanders and saw Sproles decide to return for another season, the writing was on the wall that at least one of the Eagles' halfbacks would not make the 53-man roster, and it ended up being two of them.
Philadelphia is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which it won nine games and snuck into the playoffs, upsetting the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round before falling to the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round the following week.
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