Is Eagles RB Corey Clement destined for a resurgence in year three?

Few players reach the highs and the lows that Eagles' running back Corey Clement has in his first two seasons in the NFL. Less than a year after thirty-two teams passed him up in the 2017 Draft, he led Philadelphia in receiving in the biggest game in the team's history. Entering the 2018-2019 season riding a high, the following months would see the Glassboro, New Jersey native struggle through injury and fail to take the step up that many had expected. While he did see a small rise in opportunities during the regular season in year two, the results were mixed. Clement rose and fell out of the rotation throughout the season whether due to injury or coaches decision. Despite tumultuous outcomes, the back never failed to show tantalizing sparks of the electric potential that he's teased since his arrival in Philly. The Eagles backfield already looks much different than it did at this time last season, with more possible changes to come. Jay Ajayi bid farewell to the team via Instagram as fans welcomed new acquisition Jordan Howard into the fold. Darren Sproles has yet to commit to the 2019-2020 season and Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams' role in the offense is yet to be defined. It is fair to wonder what the turnover means for the darling of the 2017 undrafted class. Was his unbelievable performance in Super Bowl LII a sign of things to come, or will his herculean feat forever highlight what was otherwise a disappointing career? To answer that question, it's necessary to understand exactly what went wrong in Clement's sophomore season. The young playmaker dealt with a nagging quad injury early on in the season causing him to miss the fourth and fifth game of 2018. In the first three weeks, he looked every part the change-of-pace runner and receiver fans expected. Including a defense-heavy match up against the Atlanta Falcons, Clement's numbers exhibited a promising uptick.

	Rec	Tgt	Yds	Yds/R	TD	Rush	Yds	Yds/R	TD
Total	8	10	74	9.25	0	27	112	4.15	1
/Game	2.6	3.3	24.7	--	0	9	37.3	--	0.3

This stretch contained a rushing high of 56-yards on sixteen carries against the Colts and a five catch, 55-yard receiving performance in Tampa Bay. The quick-footed back looked comfortable in his role as the counterpart to Jay Ajayi's pummelling, inside running style. Admittedly, with Ajayi sidelined against Indianapolis, Clement was forced into the lead role and began to show some limitations as a primary ball carrier. This is also when he seemingly suffered his first injury of the season. If he had continued to produce at the rate which he started the year, his numbers would put him among the better secondary options in the NFL.

	Rec	Tgt	Yds	TD	Rush	Yds	TD
Projected (16g)	41.6	52.8	395.2	0	144	596.8	4.8
Projected (11g)	28.6	36.3	271.7	0	99	410.3	3.3
Actual (11g)	22	25	192	0	68	259	2

This representation is without a doubt an oversimplification of the issue at hand. Nonetheless, it serves to convey the point that, all things being equal, had Clement's usage and role remained steady his 2018-2019 numbers would be significantly improved. There are two valid trains of thought as to why the final results don't match the projected figures. The first is to examine the back's second-year struggles as a personal issue. Whether by injury, under-preparedness or a fall back to reality, it is reasonable to believe the drop in production illuminates what is possibly a larger in-house issue. The second state of mind is to focus on Clement's slump within the context of the entire Eagles offense. Last year's iteration of the Doug Pederson offense was nowhere near as efficient as the previous year and wore many masks as the team clambered to find an identity that would lead them back into the playoffs. For the soon-to-be third-year back, the reality is likely a result of both phenomena. Continued on the pages below.  Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Year One Readying for his first season as an Eagle, Running Backs Coach Duce Staley asked Clement to drop weight in order to prepare for a much different role than he had been bestowed at Wisconsin. Known as a bruiser with an innate feel for inside blocking schemes in college, the third-down role was a new undertaking. The rookie entered the season at a slim 215, looking light on foot and showcasing an impressive burst in the open field. He was eased into his role as a rotational pass catcher but never lost his ability to lower the shoulder for a first down. Eagles fans were enamored with the electricity which emanated from Clement's touch of the football. Already a hometown favorite, he announced himself to the league with back-to-back 50-yard rushing performances against the 49ers and Broncos. The latter of which put him on fantasy football owners map with three touchdowns. He followed it up with yet another 50 yard game against the Cowboys.

	Rec	Tgt	Yds	Yds/Rec	TD	Rush	Yds	Yds/Rush	TD
2017	10	15	123	12.3	2	74	321	4.3	4

It wasn't until the playoffs that Clement began fully flexing his pass-catching chops. Quietly, he had been setting the foundation for an explosive showing all season with his sensational pass blocking. Despite being generally known as a run-first player, the coaches felt comfortable leaving him in on passing plays because of his dependable pass protection. The only true two-way threat in the Eagles' rotation with Darren Sproles' season over, the already diverse Philadelphia offense could keep defenses even more confused with Clement in the backfield. A potent threat as a stretch runner from the shotgun, as a downhill runner in short yardage situations, a steady blocker, heady enough to diagnose blitzes in his first professional year and an emerging factor as a receiver -- he stressed defensive coordinators simply by stepping on the field. Add to the list his incredible ability to set up and follow his blocks in the screen game and a new-found talent returning kicks. Below are Corey's 2017 playoff stats:

Rec	Tgt	Yds	Yds/Rec	Td	Rush	Yds	Yds/Rush	Ret	Yds	Yds/R
10	11	139	13.9	1	6	33	5.5	2	47	23.5

It's no wonder fans were fascinated to see what the young man had in store for an encore. Year Two Preparing for a season without LeGarrette Blount and facing a battle for carries behind Jay Ajayi, Clement added some weight, tipping the scales at 220 lbs. From a simple sight test, he also looked bigger, filling out his frame after spending a full year in an NFL weight room. The on-field results followed in tow. He seemed to pack a bigger punch behind his runs and was less affected by arm tackles and traffic. He also looked slower. The entire offense seemed a little less threatening when rounding the edge and Clement was no exception. This was especially true with Jay Ajayi watching from the sidelines, unable to keep defenses honest with his physical play style. Outside zone runs and stretch plays are essential for Pederson's spacing based scheme. While the unit had some fleeting success with a rotation of Clement and Wendell Smallwood hitting the edge, they were also forced to use uncharacteristic sweeps to varied results. Clearly, Coach P was expecting a bit more explosion from the second year back.

When passing the football against the Colts, the Eagles were forced to find spaces behind linebackers with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert instead of in between them. Accordingly, the opposing defense was stretched vertically, but not horizontally. The Eagles didn't have much success running the football up the middle until late in the second half. The passing game and the running game require this stretching and tightening to function. This is paramount for understanding Clement's troubles moving forward in the season. Evident in both charts, the speedster is at his best when moving laterally. Who knows if the added weight had anything to do with the loss of speed or his eventual injuries -- the fact of the matter is Corey seemed to have lost a step. The Return Corey returned to the lineup amidst relative disarray on the offensive side of the ball. The team had been handed two crushing late-game losses to the Titans and Vikings and a lack of running prowess was the apparent culprit. Despite having Jay Ajayi back in the lineup and a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, Carson Wentz threw 50 times against Tennessee. The team then struggled to run the football against Minnesota's formidable front seven and lost Ajayi for the rest of the season. Clement was eased back into his role in a week six clash against the Giants in which the Eagles jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. With Wendell Smallwood showing more oomph than he had since the Eagles drafted him, Clement took a back seat against the dangerous defense of the Carolina Panthers. In eight carries, he managed just six yards and looked the clear second fiddle to Smallwood. No matter who carried the football, however, the Philadelphia run game looked lackluster and Doug Pederson was left looking for solutions. It was all very poor timing for the second year running back, who never quite his stride in the early goings. The Birds' overseas battle with the Jacksonville Jaguars was the catalyst of Clement's disappointing second season. In a hope to reignite the Eagles run game, the coaching staff turned to two tight end sets and gave rookie Josh Adams a chance to take over the starting role. Neither of these new developments spelled good news for the third-down back. Pederson would now depend on Ertz and Goedert on third downs, screens and short passing situations -- which meant a season-low negative one receiving yard for Clement. Adams quick success meant curtains for the second year back on early downs. Wendell's recent come up meant he was in prime position to steal passing down reps from his colleague as well. That coincided with the acquisition of Golden Tate, who was poised to clean up whatever crumbs were left for Clement in the screen game. The running back then surpassed his season low receiving yards against the Cowboys, registering negative five. Pederson was prepared to ride the hot hand of the backfield carousel and Clement's hadn't even been given the chance to get lukewarm. Following a career-high twenty touches against the Colts early in the season, he was only allowed more than ten twice for the rest of the season -- in subsequent games against the Giants and Panthers. That didn't mark the end of Clement's meaningful contributions, however. He still managed two incredibly productive games against the Giants and Redskins in weeks twelve and thirteen, respectively.

	Rec	Tgt	Yds	Yds/Rec	Rush	Yds	Yds/Rush	Ret	Yds
vs. NYG	2	2	31	15.5	5	45	9.0	2	51
vs. WAS	3	3	47	15.7	5	27	5.4	1	22

Unfortunately for the young man, his efforts came in vain. By the time the Eagles were preparing for the battle to edge back into the playoffs, Darren Sproles had made his timely return to the field and Clement was put on IR to recover from a knee injury he suffered in week fourteen in Dallas. Before the injury, he still managed an electric 36-yard kick return early in the game. Still, the recent ascent was not enough to wipe away the sour taste of year two, and the season would be written off -- perhaps unfairly, perhaps deservedly -- as a disappointment. Year Three Despite an unconvincing second season, there are many reasons to believe a bounce back third year is well within the cards for Corey Clement. Statistics from the second season were not all gloom and doom despite what the final results suggest. Contrary to outward appearances, the back was as efficient as ever in creating opportunities for himself according to Player Profiler.

	Yds Creat'd	YdsC/Rush	Tckls Evded	Juke Rt	Runs 15+ (%)
2017	77	0.92	10	16.7%	3 (4.1%)
2018	102	1.13	15	11.9%	3 (4.4%)

He also registered a total of zero drops in 2018-2019 to go along with a catch rate of 88.0%. Even if Sproles returns for the last hurrah, Clement may have the best hands in the Eagles' running back room. In addition to the promising numbers hidden in his sophomore season, there have been a number of key changes that will help Corey get back on track. The first is the acquisition of Jordan Howard. Superficially, adding another running back into the ring to scuffle for carries should imply negative outcomes. On the contrary, Howard and Clement's skill sets are completely complimentary. Similar to the success Clement had in his first season with LeGarrette Blount touting the rock, Howard bashing heads on the interior should open up a world of possibilities for Corey outside the hashes.

Compare the chart above to the one below. In 2017-2018, Philadelphia had the benefit of handing the ball to the human wrecking ball Blount and watching him work. His paths through the middle of the defense are direct and he rarely looks to bounce or avoids taking hits. The area outside the tackles is untouched. Below, Smallwood's carry chart offers a very different story. His routes through the interior defense are meandering and he often looks for opportunities to make defenders miss or jump to space -- even in one of his more productive games against a weaker opponent, such as below. Opponents can leave room in the middle only to collapse knowing Smallwood is less-than-comfortable going body-on-body to secure the extra yard. Space outside the hashes is muddied and Clement's work isn't as cut out as in the previous season.

Enter Jordan Howard. The chart below is from Chicago's game against the Vikings, who, as previously mentioned, is not an easy team to butt heads with up the middle. Similar to Blount, his pathways are straight and true. This is not to say Howard isn't capable of bouncing runs to space for impressive gains -- in fact, it is a specialty of his -- but instead to suggest that he is much more willing to take on defenders going north-south in between the hashes.

Clement will offer a much more proven potency in the passing game, but both backs are very capable pass blockers. Howard has been lauded in the past by PFF for his handy pass pro and Clement may be one of the more underrated pass protectors in the game. With either in the game, opponents will have to be wary of both pass or run at any moment. The Wisconsin alum will still have to compete with Smallwood and Adams for opportunities. Nevertheless, he should still be in good standing to get his chances. The addition of Howard likely means more heartbreak for Adams than any other back in the room. In a head-to-head contest with Smallwood, Clement offers some things that Wendell doesn't. Corey is a much more effective smoke screen on passing downs due to his skill set and usage. His performance in the Super Bowl put all other thirty-one teams on notice concerning his ability as a pass catcher. The Eagles love to fake running back screens only to throw a tight end screen. Clement is without a doubt the most effective screen RB on the Eagles roster (Sproles would be an acceptable rebuttal). The Eagles also went through a change in the receiving room that will be of benefit to Clement, essentially swapping Golden Tate for DeSean Jackson. While the former was a threat to take touches away from Clement in the short passing and screen game, the latter will only serve to create space for the third year runner. Any time a team adds a player that can take the top off a defense it bodes well for the running game. Clement has averaged almost five yards per carry against light fronts in his first two seasons. He is bound to see more of that variety with Jackson in the mix. Without having to vie for screen plays with Tate, Corey should once again be the featured player in those situations. We've all seen the damage he can do with a well-blocked screen. All in all, there is room for hope for the third year running back. Many think the Eagles aren't done adding play makers to their current roster, whether by the draft or free agency. Chicago has proven that a tandem of Howard and an electric change-of-pace player can leave its mark on the league. Maybe this article has convinced the world that perhaps, just perhaps, the answer is already in Philadelphia. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports