Darren Sproles expects to be the team's third down back in 2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 23: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles hands the ball off to Darren Sproles #43 during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings during a game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

By Mark Chichester
Posted Jun 30, 2017 11:31 pm EDT • Philadelphia Eagles

• According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, Darren Sproles has said that he expects to be the third down back for the Philadelphia Eagles this season, leaving Ryan Mathews and LeGarrette Blount to handle the workload on early downs.

• Sproles played snaps 511 snaps for the Eagles last season, and lined up for 62.2% of the Eagles third down plays. He led Eagles running backs with an elusive rating (The Pro Football Focus metric that measures a runner's success beyond the point of being helped by his blockers) of 47.2, which ranked 18th of 53 running backs with at least 80 attempts.

• Darren Sproles was an important fixture in the passing game, and accounted for 61.8% of the Eagles backfield targets. Sproles’ 1.34 yards per route run ranked 22nd of 43 running backs

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