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Miles Sanders has a broken hand and won’t play in Week 17 against Washington. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed the injury on Monday, adding that the team isn’t placing Sanders on injured reserve.
The starting running back will be “re-evaluated after a week,” according to Sirianni, and there is no timetable for a return. The Eagles are holding out hope that Sanders can return, but bone fractures can take at least a month to heal depending on the severity of the break.
“Miles did break his hand and, obviously, he’ll be out this week and then we will re-evaluate after a week,” Sirianni said. “We are hopeful we can get him back at some point this season, so he will not be going to IR.”
Making matters worse, backup Jordan Howard suffered a stinger and left the Giants game. Sirianni said he is “hopeful” that the one-time Pro Bowler will be good to go. If not, the job belongs to Boston Scott.
“We just have to take it play-by-play and stay present,” Scott said following a 34-10 win on Sunday. “That’s what we try to do. We all hold each other accountable and we all motivate each other. We keep it calm and keep it focused.”
Scott rushed for 41 yards on 12 carries in fill-in duty against New York. He has 326 yards and five touchdowns in eight games this season. One other in-house option on the 53 is rookie Kenny Gainwell who hasn’t seen a carry since December 5. He has 453 total yards – 209 rushing, 244 receiving – with five total touchdowns. Jason Huntley is down on the practice squad, too.
In other Eagles’ injury news: safety K’Von Wallace (hip pointer) is fine; guard Nate Herbig (knee sprain) is good to go; and no new updates on guard Brandon Brooks (pectoral strain) or linebacker Davion Taylor (knee surgery). Brooks seems like a longshot to return this season, although Sirianni wouldn’t confirm that.
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5 Possible Replacements for Sanders
Scott and Gainwell seem more than capable of carrying the load should Sanders miss extended time, especially if Howard is cleared to play. Then again, the Eagles are in prime position to play the role of spoiler in the NFL playoffs.
They could get in and make some serious noise behind their dominating offensive line, assuming they have an explosive running back. General manager Howie Roseman would be wise to kick the tires on the waiver wire or in free agency to see what’s out there.
Here are a few interesting names to keep an eye on:
Todd Gurley: The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro was an MVP candidate at one point in his career. Gurley led the entire NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2017 (13) and 2018 (17) while racking up 2,556 yards during that span. He spent the 2020 campaign in Atlanta before being cut. There are concerns about an arthritic condition in his left knee. But Gurley could thrive in a complementary role where he’s not the bellcow. He has 6,082 career rushing yards and 79 total touchdowns.
Kerryon Johnson: The former second-round pick spent training camp with the Eagles before being waived with an injury designation on August 26. He hurt his knee but the reason to part ways seemed to do more with having too many better options already on the roster. San Francisco took a flier on Johnson back in September but he was stranded on the practice squad and saw nine snaps, all on special teams. Here’s the rub Johnson knows the Eagles’ playbook, plus he plays a similar style to Jordan Howard.
Elijah Holyfield: If Philly wanted to be sneaky and snake a player away from another team’s practice squad, this would be the logical move. Holyfield – the son of world champion boxer Evander Holyfield – has been with the Cincinnati Bengals since October 12 but hasn’t seen any game action. The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder last got a meaningful snap in 2020 as a member of the Eagles. In fact, Holyfield had been a permanent fixture on the Eagles’ practice squad since 2019. He’s another guy who knows the system.
Michael Warren: Nicknamed “The Tank” for his smallish-yet-bullish frame, Warren was originally signed by Philly as an undrafted rookie in 2020. There was considerable buzz around the one-time Mr. Ohio Football who averaged 109.5 yards per game over his last seven games at the University of Cincinnati. There was even talk of pairing him up with Miles Sanders prior to Howard’s second stint here. He’s freely available on the waiver wire.
Wendell Smallwood: The one-time Super Bowl champion for the Eagles (inactive on February 6, 2018) just cleared COVID-19 protocols and returned to the Washington Football Team’s practice squad. He isn’t flashy. He isn’t that dynamic. He is available, though, plus he has fresh legs. Smallwood – a fifth-round pick by Roseman in 2016 – has 1,408 total yards (944 rushing, 464 receiving) since his rookie year.
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