Corey Clement’s rookie season went about as well as anyone could have hoped. He made the Eagles’ roster as an undrafted rookie in his own backyard, worked his way into the rotation and eventually became one of the biggest heroes of Super Bowl LII.
That was a long time ago.
In the two years since, Clement has ended both seasons on Injured Reserve, needing surgeries on his knee and his shoulder. Even before his injury last year, Clement played in four games and got a total of three offensive snaps. This offseason, the Eagles didn’t tender him but brought him back on a veteran minimum contract.
It has been a roller coaster.
But there seems to be some growing buzz around Clement going into the 2020 season.
On Sunday, Eagles starting running back Miles Sanders was asked about the Eagles’ quest to become a more explosive offense and on his own offered this about Clement :
Corey looks great. He looks explosive. He looks like Super Bowl Corey to me.
NFL
Yeah, that’ll get your attention — Super Bowl Corey.
Because Super Bowl Corey was nothing short of spectacular. This is the guy who caught four passes for 100 yards and a touchdown in the biggest game of his life. Sanders was still at Penn State during Super Bowl LII, but Clement’s play in that game was seen by millions.
Clement is still just 25. If he can get back to that, the Eagles have a pretty good stable of young and talented running backs.
Sanders is the starter and the featured back as he enters his second season and Boston Scott earned his role in 2020 based on his success late in the 2019 season. After that, the Eagles don’t really have a lot to rely on. Clement is battling with Elijah Holyfield, Mike Warren and Adrian Killins for roster spots and possibly playing time. With his experience in the offense, Clement should definitely have an advantage.
He’s got his ears pinned back,” running backs coach Duce Staley said recently. “He’s ready. He looks awesome, you can tell he’s been working. He wants to get back to the old Corey.
Even Clement in the spring said he wanted to get back to his rookie mindset, fighting for everything he gets.
Staley remembered how in 2017 when Darren Sproles went down with injury, the Eagles simply plugged Clement into the rotation and kept things rolling toward Minnesota. That’s how good Clement was just a few years ago.
Maybe those injuries have taken their toll on Clement. Maybe he’ll never get back to the peak he experienced as an undrafted rookie taking over in the Super Bowl.
But if there’s a chance he can get back to that level, it’s certainly understandable why the buzz in the building keeps growing.
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