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Montee Ball Would Be A Nice Addition to Philadelphia Eagles’ 2015 Roster

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At this time last year, running back Montee Ball was being hyped as the breakout star in Denver.  Their second-round pick in the 2013 draft, Ball entered camp as Peyton Manning’s starting back which historically means a ton of production. But between injuries, coaching changes and other emerging players Ball could be on his way out of Denver. In which case, the Philadelphia Eagles would be very smart to be the next team Ball suits up for.

I’ve long been hammering the importance for a fourth running back to be carried on this team.  Not that I expect DeMarco Murray or Ryan Mathews to flop, but the fact remains that these guys have been banged up in the past. Chip Kelly’s smoothies, health regimens, sleep schedules and so on may very well make all the difference in keeping these guys healthy, but I strongly believe in having as much insurance as possible.

Ball is both of those things: quality and cheap. At only 24 years old, Ball is tailor-made for Kelly’s rushing attack. Ball is an excellent one-cut runner who runs violently over whoever is in his way, never dancing and losing yards behind the line of scrimmage. He’s a willing and capable pass protector who can assess who to pick up quickly. As an added bonus, he’s a good receiving back who can make plays through the air as well as on the ground.

Typically players like that don’t hit the open market so soon in their career, but Ball is being caught up in what amounts to be a perfect storm. Rather than blowing up his stats last year, Ball came out of the gate slow, got injured, and really never came back. While he was healing, Denver saw Ronnie Hillman play solid football up until his injury took him out. Then C.J. Anderson comes on the field from way down the depth chart and plays lights out, with Juwan Thompson serving as a solid No. 2 option. Word already is that Anderson has the starting job locked down, with Hillman, Thompson, and Ball in the mix for depth spots behind him. Hillman is certainly going to make the roster, and given how Thompson looked out there, Ball is dangerously close to the chopping block.  Ball is the only unknown right now to Gary Kubiak, and being unknown isn’t a good thing when there are three knowns in front.

Jumping on him quickly on waivers, or even throwing a late-round pick to Denver for Ball would make a lot of sense for the Eagles. Carrying four running backs isn’t anything new to the team, and Ball would be a solid upgrade over the current expected fourth back Matthew Tucker. It’s a unique situation Ball is in with the Broncos, and it would be a unique situation the Eagles could cash in big with if they’re aggressive enough.

Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.  Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL. 

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