March 16, 2018
Another player is leaving the Philadelphia Eagles after their Super Bowl season. The latest is running back LeGarrette Blount, who is set to sign with the Detroit Lions, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The #Lions are signing FA RB LeGarrette Blount to a 1-year deal worth $4.5M, source said. He’s back with Matt Patricia, as the New England ties are strong.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2018
The other Eagles to depart via free agency so far are TE Trey Burton, DT Beau Allen, CB Patrick Robinson, and K Caleb Sturgis. DE Vinny Curry and TE Brent Celek will join them soon.
The Eagles signed Blount more than two months after the start of free agency last offseason at a bargain bin price. While Blount was technically a starter for much of the season, he was used more like a role player, as he averaged 10.4 carries per game. In his role, Blount was very effective, carrying 173 times for 766 yards (4.4 YPC) and 2 TDs.
He also rumbled for touchdowns in each of the Eagles' three playoff wins. Here's his touchdown run against the Patriots in the Super Bowl:
Despite some questioning his character, Blount turned out to be a great teammate who never complained (publicly, anyway) about playing time and was genuinely liked by his teammates.
Jay Ajayi and Corey Clement are the only two remaining backs who are almost certainly going to be on the roster in 2018. Wendell Smallwood and Donnel Pumphrey will have to fight for roster spots, while Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner remain free agents. Running back will likely be a position of interest for the Eagles in the 2018 NFL Draft.
As noted this morning, the silver lining on the loss of Blount is that the Eagles will likely earn a compensatory pick due to his departure.
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