By Paul Macrie, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
On Wednesday morning, the Eagles made a mildly surprising move by agreeing to terms with former Patriots' running back LeGarrette Blount. The 30-year-old veteran back had a league-high 18 rushing touchdowns for the Super Bowl champions in 2016, but despite that, he still didn't have teams kicking down the door for his services.
Some of it has to do with the way the free-agent running back market is in the current pass-heavy NFL. Another part of it has to do with his age. And perhaps teams are nitpicking at his subpar 3.9 yards-per-carry average last season.
Blount played a solid role in the Patriots' championship season, though he did take a backseat to James White in the Super Bowl. He ran for a career-best 1,161 yards on a career-high 299 carries. Before that, his previous career-high in touches was 201 in his rookie season with the Buccaneers in 2010.
The much-maligned tailback is listed a 6'0, 250 pounds, easily the biggest back on the roster now.
The Eagles have struggled in short-yardage situations in recent seasons. When Ryan Mathews has been healthy, which is seldom, he has somewhat alleviated the issues in tough yardage, red-zone scenarios, but Blount excelled in that role for two seasons in New England. Of course, the Patriots' coaches seem to get the best out of most players they add to their roster. Can Philadelphia's staff be able to do the same? The answer is cautiously yes, especially with an offensive line that has quality depth and proven options.
The big winner with the addition of Blount should be Carson Wentz. Entering his second year as the franchise quarterback, Wentz needed more weapons on offense. The front office, led by Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas, has delivered. They added wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith during free agency in March, and patiently waited out the Blount market by swooping in to sign him in mid-May.
Despite a lack of cap space, the team has found a way to fit in veteran options that should bolster the roster of the short-term, and the hope that it could springboard the franchise for long-term success.
During the offseason, Roseman expressed that organization has to think more about long-term solutions to improve the roster, as opposed to band-aid transactions. Blount very well qualifies as a band-aid option, given his age. However, if a quality running back such as he is available this late in the offseason, with very little push from other teams, then it is time to take advantage if it financially makes sense.
Apparently, the time was now to make the move to add Blount to the roster. With Mathews reportedly healthy enough to begin offseason workouts, the organization will likely opt to release him in the near future, therefore saving $4 million in cap space. The transaction makes too much sense, especially for a team that needs to add some financial flexibility.
Time will tell whether or not Blount makes the Eagles a better team in 2017. On paper, it should make the offense more balanced. It should improve the team's run game in early-down situations. With the addition of Jeffery, along with Blount, the past red zone problems could be solved. It has the potential to make Wentz a better quarterback for now, and the long-term, while the younger options on offense such as Donnel Pumphrey, Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson start to develop.
It is a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Eagles, essentially putting a bow on the offseason talent infusion. Now, it's time to see if all the moves pay off.
