Adrian Fedkiw
After Wendell Smallwood carried the ball 17 times for 79 yards and a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 34-3 blowout win, I thought he’d break out even further against the Detroit Lions after the bye.
I was wrong.
Very wrong.
Smallwood saw just one snap against the Lions last Sunday, really?
Ryan Mathews, meanwhile, continues to be the No. 1 guy despite averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, which is 34th out of 39 qualified running backs. Grant it, he’s been dealing with an ankle injury, but he always seems to have some type of issue. He averaged a league-best 5.1 yards per carry last season in Chip Kelly’s system.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson keeps insisting that Mathews is the lead back, but don’t be surprised to see a shift in playing time between Mathews and Smallwood over the next couple of weeks and even Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
Smallwood has thrived so far in the limited opportunities he’s had, putting up 4.8 yards per tote. He’s a very decisive one-cut runner who gets downhill quickly. He runs through holes with balanced pad level, which allows him to spin off would-be tacklers. Smallwood isn’t flashy or creative when he runs, you’re not going to see him beat a lot of defenders in the open field.
But he’s effective.
We’ve also yet to see him catch a pass out of the backfield, which is a strength of his. Smallwood saw some playing time as a wide receiver during the preseason and ran a couple quick out routes and hitches. The fifth-round West Virginia product can do a little bit of everything.
Now it’s time to see him see get more snaps.
Mathews better watch his back.