After opening free agency with the fortification of special teams and the addition of safety Malcolm Jenkins, the Eagles made a splash on offense Thursday morning with the acquisition of running back Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints.
Did you really expect the Eagles to stay quiet?
In exchange for Sproles, the Eagles sent one of their two 2014 fifth-round picks to the Saints. The pick sent to New Orleans was acquired from the New England Patriots during the season when the Eagles sent defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga to the Patriots.
| Darren Sproles Rushing Stats | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Rushes | Yards | Avg. | Long | TD |
| 2005 | SD | 8 | 50 | 6.3 | 21 | 0 |
| 2006 | SD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | SD | 37 | 164 | 4.4 | 34 | 2 |
| 2008 | SD | 61 | 330 | 5.4 | 37 | 1 |
| 2009 | SD | 93 | 343 | 3.7 | 21 | 3 |
| 2010 | SD | 50 | 267 | 5.3 | 34 | 0 |
| 2011 | NO | 87 | 603 | 6.9 | 36 | 2 |
| 2012 | NO | 48 | 244 | 5.1 | 47 | 1 |
| 2013 | NO | 53 | 220 | 4.2 | 38 | 2 |
| Career | 437 | 2,221 | 5.1 | 47 | 11 | |
"Darren Sproles is an unbelievable offensive weapon," said head coach Chip Kelly. "He can do it all, run, catch, plus he's a proven winner. And on top of that, he can bring all of those dynamic skills to the return game as well. There is no question we were all excited once we found out we were going to be able to trade for him."
"Darren is a player that we have admired for many years – he's a proven performer at a high level," saidgeneral manager Howie Roseman. "He's such a dangerous back and he's a great piece to add to our offense and to our special teams. We spent a considerable time in order to try to make this happen and we were very happy to get a deal done with New Orleans."
In Sproles, the Eagles acquire one of the most versatile and dynamic players in the league. In eight seasons split between the Saints and the San Diego Chargers, Sproles has 2,221 rushing yards (5.1 yards per carry), 3,381 receiving yards (8.9 yards per catch), 1,606 punt return yards (8.2 yards per return) and 8,296 kick return yards (25.3 yards per return).
| Darren Sproles Receiving Stats | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Receptions | Yards | Avg. | Long | TD |
| 2005 | SD | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 6 | 0 |
| 2006 | SD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | SD | 10 | 31 | 3.1 | 14 | 0 |
| 2008 | SD | 29 | 342 | 11.8 | 66 | 5 |
| 2009 | SD | 45 | 497 | 11.0 | 81 | 4 |
| 2010 | SD | 59 | 520 | 8.8 | 57 | 2 |
| 2011 | NO | 86 | 710 | 8.3 | 39 | 7 |
| 2012 | NO | 75 | 667 | 8.9 | 44 | 7 |
| 2013 | NO | 71 | 604 | 8.5 | 48 | 2 |
| Career | 378 | 3,381 | 8.9 | 81 | 27 | |
In his three seasons in New Orleans, Sproles was a relentless threat as a receiver out of the backfield, catching 86, 75 and 71 passes in consecutive years. That accounts for, by far, the most receptions by a running back in the NFL over that time. With the Eagles, he'll no doubt serve as an ideal complement to LeSean McCoy, the league's leading rusher in 2013.
| Darren Sproles Return Stats | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Punt Returns | Avg. | Kick Returns | Avg. | Total TD |
| 2005 | SD | 18 | 6.0 | 63 | 24.3 | 0 |
| 2006 | SD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | SD | 24 | 9.5 | 37 | 27.2 | 2 |
| 2008 | SD | 22 | 11.3 | 53 | 26.0 | 1 |
| 2009 | SD | 26 | 7/0 | 54 | 24.1 | 1 |
| 2010 | SD | 24 | 6.9 | 51 | 24.6 | 0 |
| 2011 | NO | 29 | 10.1 | 40 | 27.2 | 1 |
| 2012 | NO | 23 | 8.0 | 18 | 26.8 | 0 |
| 2013 | NO | 29 | 6.7 | 12 | 21.3 | 0 |
| Career | 195 | 8.2 | 328 | 25.3 | 5 | |
Sproles is the second member of the 2013 New Orleans Saints acquired by the Eagles this offseason, joining Jenkins. In the Saints' playoff victory over the Eagles last season, Sproles had 15 touches for 189 yards.
At running back, he joins McCoy, Bryce Brown, Chris Polk and Matthew Tucker.
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