Philadelphia Eagles: Corey Clement is putting in work

[UK_EaglesFan89]

Philadelphia Eagles: Corey Clement is putting in work

 

The Philadelphia Eagles may be getting a different Corey Clement this fall.

February 4th, 2018 was (probably) the best day of Corey Clement‘s life.

 

Now to be fair, February 4th was probably the best day of many people’s lives, as it marked the first day the Philadelphia Eagles could finally, finally call themselves Super Bowl champions.

To some, like my grandpa who has had season tickets since, like forever, this was a reward for 50-plus years of relentless fandom, and for Clement, it looked like a star-making performance.

After initially making the roster as the Eagles’ fifth running back, the Wisconsin UDFA slowly worked his way up the depth chart, watched his carries drop back down thanks to the midseason addition of Jay Ajayi, and then found work as a change of pace receiver out of the backfield – a role he would perfect in the playoffs. Earning a little less than six touches a game, Clement capped off his encouraging rookie campaign with a 100-yard receiving performance in the Super Bowl, ironically enough the first (and to date only) time he’s passed the century mark as a pro.

 

Clement was also a vital cog in the Philly Special, an often overlooked fact that will surely cement his place in Philly history even if his career ended today.

So naturally, one would assume when a local man makes good and his team moves on from their incumbent starting runningback within a month he’d be in-line for a bigger push in the coming fall, right?

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Despite entering the 2018 season as presumably the Birds’ second-string running back behind Ajayi, Clement suffered through a season marred with minor injury after minor injury, finishing out the year with only seven more all-purpose yards than his rookie season on six more touches despite appearing in five fewer games. From there, Clement sunk even further down the depth chart, landing behind rookie second-round pick Miles Sanders, trade acquisition Jordan Howard and even Darren Sproles’ final, final, final retirement tour. He appeared in four games, earned zero carries, and was unceremoniously placed on IR in early October.

 

The Eagles ultimately opted against extending an RFA tender to Clement when his three-year rookie contract expired in the spring of 2020 and he eventually returned to the team on a one-year, vet minimum deal that reportedly was the Glassboro, NJ native’s desired outcome all along.

But hey, just because Clement wasn’t many Eagles fans’ top choice in free agency doesn’t mean he’ll be a guaranteed nonfactor this fall when the season opens up. Heck, if Clement’s recent Instagram workouts are of any indication, he may actually come back bigger, badder, and better than ever this fall.

 

 

 

As his teammates eagerly pointed out in the comments section, those cuts are clean.

Now to be fair, even if Clement comes back in the best shape of his life, fully healthy, with some added muscle and improved conditioning, he probably won’t be beating out Sanders for a starting role anytime soon. As Doug Pederson eluded to when discussing the team’s offseason interest in adding an external running back option earlier this month, this is Sanders’ team running back-speaking, and the team is going to do everything in their power to help him succeed this fall. Similarly, Clement may once again find himself the second banana as a change of pace receiving back, as 2019 breakout performer Boston Scott probably has that role locked up moving forward.

However, the Eagles really don’t have a one-cut back to deploy between the tackles on early downs and in short-yardage situations, a role Clement just so happens to have excelled in as a senior with the Wisconsin Badgers in 2016. As crazy as it sounds, Clement is actually the heaviest (and oldest) running back projected to make the Eagles’ roster this fall – that is, unless Elijah Hollyfield somehow makes the roster. If he can show a consistent ability to pick up a 3.5 yards a run when people know it’s coming, having a short-yardage back who can contribute in the passing game would give the Eagles a pretty intriguing option for running a no-huddle offense built around optionality.

Will it work? Will Corey Clement’s extra offseason work prove fruitful and finally return him to his 2017 form, or will his fourth season with the Philadelphia Eagles ultimately be his last? Only time will tell, but it’s certainly encouraging to see the 25-year-old veteran putting in some serious work to make the most of this ‘make-or-break’ season.

https://section215.com/2020/06/23/philadelphia-eagles-clement-work/

Well I think he's got a lot of the fanbase rooting for him so hopefully the hard work pays off for him. 

[20dawk4life]

Sanders, Scott, Clement is a good back field. If warren or Holyfield can be a power back for us watch out, we could end up back in the top 5 in rushing yards. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

4 hours ago, 20dawk4life said:

Sanders, Scott, Clement is a good back field. If warren or Holyfield can be a power back for us watch out, we could end up back in the top 5 in rushing yards. 

There would be hope there for sure. The OL gives me cause for concern though.