There's been plenty of speculation in recent days that LeGarrette Blount's roster spot with the Eagles isn't guaranteed.
Head coach Doug Pederson did his part on Tuesday to try to end that speculation.
"The guy's a beast of a runner," Pederson said. "I don't know what else to tell you -- 18 touchdowns, 15 in the red zone last year. That's the production you saw yesterday, the style of running he can do. ... I'm excited he's here and he's going to be a big part of our offense."
During the first two preseason games this summer, Blount simply hasn't looked good. He has nine carries for 17 yards.
But, as he has in the past, Pederson made it a point to remind everyone that the Eagles haven't been game-planning for these preseason games. That means the team is less concerned about which plays will work against the defense and more concerned about simply executing regardless of matchups; hence the stretch runs with a 250-pound running back. That could be a reason Blount has looked so ineffective thus far.
"We're trying to execute our plays," Pederson said. "As coaches, we might be doing players injustice by putting them in bad situations; I'm just going to be honest with you."
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Third time's a charm
The Eagles will face off against the Dolphins in the third preseason game on Thursday night at the Linc. Historically, the third preseason game is where starters play at least a half of football and it's normally the closest thing to a dress rehearsal for the season.
Pederson on Tuesday said he didn't have a plan in place for how long the starters will play, but didn't say anything to make it seem like he'll go with an unusual plan. That means plenty of work for Wentz and the first-team offense.
It's clear that Pederson wants his offense to clean up some issues that plagued them against the Bills, namely penalties, turnovers and execution.
"I think the first unit overall, just better execution," Pederson said when asked what he wanted to see from Wentz. "We need to start a little bit better, start the game a little bit better. You'd love to see points, obviously, and maybe score a couple of times."
No issues with Smallwood
There has been plenty of speculation about Blount's role with the team, but there's also been plenty about Wendell Smallwood's too.
Smallwood missed considerable time this training camp with a hamstring injury, while undrafted rookie Corey Clement has performed well. But it still seems very unlikely Clement has a chance to snag Smallwood's roster spot. Smallwood might be the Eagles' best all-around running back.
Pederson doesn't even think this game is super important for Smallwood after missing time.
"Not really, not really," Pederson said. "We saw a lot from him last year and what he can do. He did an outstanding job through the spring and now the summer. He bounced back again from injury. He's been good here lately, so I'm comfortable with where he's at. Still want to play him, still want to get him banging around a little bit but happy where he's at."
