Getty Corey Clement has a chance to be the lead Eagles running back.
It has been trending in this unfortunate direction for quite some time. Now the Philadelphia Eagles are down another running back.
The Eagles placed running back Corey Clement on injured reserve Friday, a move that seemingly ends his season. The team promoted Boston Scott from the practice squad to take his spot on the 53-man roster. Scott will be in the mix with Nelson Agholor to assume punt-return duties against the Vikings.
Clement had been nursing a sore shoulder and finally returned to the field last week. He promptly fumbled the ball away on a muffed punt return that set up a Jets touchdown. The Eagles were already down a running back when Darren Sproles went down last week with a quadriceps injury. Sproles hasn’t practiced all week and is out this week.
Clement was the victim of one mishap after another dating back to last season when he went down with a season-ending knee injury. He missed almost all of training camp before appearing in the third preseason game. The 24-year-old running back has played in just four games and has zero yards on the ground. Tabbed as the team’s kick returner and relegated to special teams, Clement has two fumbles this season and lost them both.
Clement now joins injured cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc on IR. Teams are allowed up to two players to return from injured reserve after Week 8, so the team will monitor his progress. With a logjam already in the Eagles’ backfield, it seems like a longshot for the running back to return this season.
“We just have to get him reps this week,” head coach Doug Pederson told reporters earlier this week. “He’s missed some time, obviously, but he hasn’t done enough of it in practice because he’s been working special teams and other areas.”
Corey Clement Was Unlikely Super Bowl Hero for Eagles
Remember the Super Bowl in 2017? Of course, you do. Corey Clement played a major and rather unlikely role in the biggest game in franchise history. He had an outside shot at Super Bowl MVP honors after hauling in four catches for 100 yards, including a huge 22-yard touchdown that gave the Eagles a 10-point lead. His 100 yards were the third-most in a Super Bowl by a running back.
Shot 13 – “Philly Special” … one of the most legendary moments in Philly Sports History. So much to love about this play….the design, the call, the timing, the execution. Foles reels in the TD from Trey Burton #FlyEaglesFly #SBLII
Clement will forever be a legend in Philadelphia sports history, too. The Glassboro, NJ native was the one who took the direct snap from Jason Kelce on the famed Philly Special play in the Super Bowl. Lined up in the backfield, Clement took the ball and ran to his left then pitched it to Trey Burton who fired it to Nick Foles for the touchdown.
“This is awesome,” Clement told NBC Sports Philadelphia after the Super Bowl. “I was dreaming about this moment. I prayed so hard just to be a part of this moment with great guys that I knew wanted it so bad.”
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