By Paul Macrie, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
When LeSean McCoy was traded in March of 2015, the Eagles were giving away an accomplished feature running back. Though the organization signed Ryan Mathews and then DeMarco Murray a week later, it never filled the void left behind when McCoy went to Buffalo.
Midway through the 2016 season, the running back rotation remains a mystery, as Doug Pederson and his offensive staff haven't found the right backfield recipe on game days.
In all fairness, the running back situation isn't Pederson's fault. Former head coach Chip Kelly made the controversial decision to trade a top-five back for a linebacker that never made an impact for the Eagles. Though Murray was coming off a rushing title with Dallas, he never fit into Kelly's offensive scheme and seemed disinterested in playing in a midnight green uniform from the start.
Murray was traded last offseason to the Titans, but Mathews remains. Darren Sproles also remains in the mix in the backfield, and has been officially named the top back by Pederson during Monday's press conference.
Rookie Wendell Smallwood has shown promise, but hasn't received many opportunities outside the second half of the Pittsburgh game in Week 3. Smallwood's fumble against the Cowboys didn't help his cause either.
Kenjon Barner is a similar type of back to Sproles, but he is a guy that is better suited being mixed in instead of getting more than 10 touches a game.
The four-man rotation at running back remains an inconsistent mess heading into a Week 10 matchup with the Falcons. In recent weeks, Sproles has touched the ball more than Mathews. However, Mathews still needs a role on this team if they are going to be successful running the football. Rookie Carson Wentz will highly benefit from a stronger running game, as the second half of the season begins.
Mathews has 85 touches this season, compared to Sproles' 84. It is nearly an even distribution, but the last several weeks has heavily shifted towards more Sproles and less Mathews. Mathews has two costly fumbles this season, one in particular that cost the team a win against the Lions. He has been less trusted by the coaching staff due to his lack of ball security, but also because of his injury history.
Despite Mathews' faults, he still has three 20-plus yard runs and five rushing touchdowns this season. Sproles hasn't logged a 20-yard run or rushing touchdown so far in 2016.
Mathews needs to continue to establish himself as the short-yardage, red zone specialist. He does have a knack for finding the end zone. The offensive line has done a great job paving the way for some of those walk-in scores as well. Sproles has always been best utilized as a player that can give teams 5 to 10 carries a game, but is far more effective in the pass game. When he is given space to operate, he is one of the most electrifying players in the league. Despite his lack of size, he breaks tackles and uses his exceptional lower body strength to muscle his way through defenders.
The Eagles' offensive staff can continue to sprinkle in Smallwood and Barner, but Sproles and Mathews deserve the bulk of the backfield production. Smallwood is an intriguing rookie who has the potential for a larger offensive role in the years to come. In order for the offense to move forward, they will need to run the ball more. The improved approach against the Giants will need to evolve to a greater commitment to the ground attack.
Instead of giving the ball to Sproles on a crucial 4th-and-1 in enemy territory, Mathews deserves that opportunity to get the harder to get yardage. Though it might make the crucial short yardage play more predictable to opposing defenses, if the offensive line does its job and opens up the proper running lanes and penetrates the line of scrimmage, it won't matter how inevitable the play is.
Yes, the downfield throws and improved offensive production against the Giants was an encouraging sign, but the 47 throws from Wentz isn't the ideal recipe for success on a game-to-game basis. A renewed commitment to establishing the rushing attack is necessary. It all starts with more confidence and consistency in the backfield rotation.
