Ronnie Brown to Eagles: 3 Reasons Why Brown Will Help Eagles Win NFC East

The latest addition to the free-agent feeding frenzy in Philadelphia is ex-Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown. Though the 29-year-old is already showing signs of slowing down after six seasons in Miami, he looks like a solid fit for an Eagles club that had been awfully thin at RB behind LeSean McCoy.

The Eagles have pretty thoroughly established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC East (and perhaps the NFC), but Brown’s arrival makes their chances that much better.

Herein, three reasons Philadelphia is a better team with Brown in the backfield.

3. Brown Plays Well with Others

Not every free-agent runner would be well-suited to joining a team that, like Philadelphia, already has an established No. 1 back in LeSean McCoy. Brown, though, has thrived in shared backfields going all the way back to his college days.

Whether it was alongside Cadillac Williams at Auburn or Ricky Williams in Miami, Brown has always been part of a two-pronged rushing attack. He’s proven year in and year out that he can produce in that situation, making him an ideal complement to McCoy.

2. Brown Can Contribute in the Passing Game

As dangerous as the Eagles’ passing attack was last season, no offensive coordinator is going to turn down a new target. And after LeSean McCoy racked up 78 catches last season, there’s little doubt that Michael Vick likes throwing to his running backs.

Brown has been a consistent 30-catch performer throughout his Dolphins’ career, despite that club’s rampant instability at QB. He’ll allow Philly to substitute freely at the tailback spot without telegraphing whether they’re running or throwing.

1. Brown Can Take Some of the Load off Michael Vick

The Eagles had an outstanding ground game last season, but that had a lot to do with Michael Vick averaging a little over eight carries per game. Philadelphia needs to keep a tight rein on his attempts as the season goes on if they don’t want to lose their franchise QB.

LeSean McCoy is a solid runner, but isn’t good enough to give the Eagles a plus ground game by himself. Paired with Brown, though, McCoy won’t need to carry the load alone

If Brown’s presence helps keep Vick healthy and on the field, he’ll have been worth signing for that reason alone.