What did the Eagles get here? Let’s take a look at his measurables:
2005 Combine:
5-6 1/8, 187
40 time: 4.47 seconds
Bench: 23 reps
Vertical: 33 inches
20-yard Shuttle: 3.96 seconds
Solid athlete for his size. He’s currently listed at 5-6/190, so he’s maintained the same body since 2005. The shuttle time is ridiculous and backs up Sproles’ reputation as a sudden player who can effortlessly change direction.
Here’s his Pro Football Focus play-by-play breakdown:
Overall Grade: 16.1 (7th among all RBs)
Receiving Grade: 15.3 (1st among all RBs) (71 rec, 604 yds, 8.5 avg, 2 td)
Rushing Grade: 1.3 (53 att, 220 yds, 4.2 avg, 2 td)
Blocking Grade: -0.5
Penalty Grade: 0.0
Total Snaps: 364
Based of these numbers, Sproles is the greatest 3rd down back in the NFL. He played in 364/1154 total offensive snaps, 31.5% of the time he was on the field. That’s essentially exactly 1/3 of the time and he was pretty much in on every 3rd down play. Of his 604 receiving yards, 560 came after the catch. He caused 15 missed tackles on 71 receptions. His catch percentage was 84%. He dropped zero catchable balls on 71 chances. Health-wise, he’s played in 122 of 128 possible games in his career.
There is downside. He will be 31 all next season. His punt return (6.7 avg) and kickoff return numbers (21.3 avg) were at an all-time low in 2013. But a lot of that is based on the entire return unit’s performance. For 2014 (his contact runs out after this season - he makes $4.25M, $3.5 cap number, $750K bonuses), this is a pretty substantial move. On third down in a passing situation, the Eagles will have DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper or Jeremy Maclin split wide, Zach Ertz in a bunch pattern behind a receiver or in–line, and Darren Sproles and LeSean McCoy in the backfield/slot. Good luck with that.
Sadly, this might mean either Bryce Brown or Chris Polk won't be on the team and both of those guys can really play. An embarrassment of riches at RB.
