Jerome Harrison Deal Off: Why Philadelphia Eagles Will Be Fine Without Extra RB

Jerome Harrison is not coming to Philadelphia. The Eagles tried to trade Ronnie Brown to Detroit for Harrison, hoping against hope that if Brown was missing from their roster, the memory of his botched lateral/fumble/worst play in the history of modern football would be erased from their minds forever.

Unfortunately, Brown is still on Philadelphia’s roster.

Fortunately, that will not matter much to the Eagles.

The deal with Detroit falling through actually helps the Eagles much more than it hurts them. Here’s why.

Rushing Offense

Philadelphia currently has the No. 1 ranked rushing offense in the country. They are embarrassing opponents so far this season, running for 170 yards per game.

As the old adage goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The same thing applies to the Eagles running game. If you have the most successful running game in the NFL, why mess with it?

Adding a new running back, especially since Harrison would have been their second-string runner anyway, would not have made much of a difference.

At best, the Eagles would have insurance for LeSean McCoy and could count on maybe 20 yards a game, given Harrison’s performance with the Lions.

At worst, the addition of Harrison could have disrupted the chemistry of a team that, last week, looked to be finally coming together and playing the type of football that was expected of them at the beginning of the season.

Already Have Two First-String Rushers

The Eagles are in an interesting and enviable spot compared to the rest of the NFL. They basically have two starting running backs.

LeSean McCoy has been very solid so far this season, running for 569 yards with an average of 5.4 yards per carry. He has also proven that he is capable of catching balls, with 21 receptions on the season.

In addition to McCoy, Philadelphia also boasts one of the most lethal rushers in the league: Michael Vick. Vick is averaging a ridiculous 8.3 yards per rush and is always a threat to evade a few defenders and turn a botched play into a touchdown.

With two high caliber rushers like the Eagles have, why look for anyone else? McCoy and Vick are more than handling the load at this point.

Focus on Developing Dion Lewis

After Ronnie Brown’s ridiculous backward pass/toss to a 300-pound linebacker/inexplicable brain synapse misfire, he was no longer second on the depth chart behind LeSean McCoy. 

Brown had no rushing attempts in the two games after the Eagles’ loss to the 49ers. Instead, Dion Lewis, a rookie out of Pittsburgh, got Brown’s carries. 

Lewis impressed the Eagles, averaging 4.5 yards per carry in those two games despite only carrying the ball four times. He has actually run for more yards on the season than Brown, despite being the third-string back for the first three games of the season. 

Dion Lewis can and should be Philadelphia’s backup running back of the future. He is a skilled rusher who can find holes in a defense and create holes for himself by breaking tackles. 

He succeeded LeSean McCoy in college at Pittsburgh and the two already have a relationship. Lewis will benefit greatly from getting these early touches and will prove to be a very valuable commodity if the Eagles need a spark or in case of injury.

Have a Few Games to Get Dion Lewis Rolling

The Eagles have a bye this weekend, then play the Dallas Cowboys at home. Dallas has the best rush defense in the NFL so few holes will be open for Dion Lewis to get comfortable.

However, after the game against the Cowboys, Philadelphia faces three teams in a row who are near the bottom of the NFL in rushing defense. Chicago, Arizona and the New York Giants will not pose much of a threat to the combination of LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick and should allow Lewis to get some reps. 

It will be important to get Lewis game touches in order to get him experience and make him more comfortable in the offense. He could turn out to be a key player for the Eagles at the end of the season, so the more confidence he has, the better.

Allows Eagles to Concentrate on Defense

Offense is not where the Eagles are struggling, except in the red zone. The red zone struggles can be easily fixed with better play calling and execution. Philadelphia’s defensive woes are another story.

The Eagles made headlines in the offseason by acquiring two of the best cornerbacks in the league while holding on to their own corner, Asante Samuel. While a few kinks still need to be worked out, Philadelphia obviously has the players it wants and who, with more experience and coaching, will be a very tough defense. 

Linebacker is a different story. The Eagles are allowing 124 rushing yards per game. They do not have the kind of impact, highly skilled players at linebacker as they do at the cornerback position.

Instead of wasting a trade on running backs, a position in which the Eagles are fairly stable, why not try to improve on a position that has been lacking so far this season? Even if the Eagles cannot trade for a linebacker, they can at least focus their attention on defense instead of teaching a new and unnecessary running back the playbook.