Darren Sproles is a soon-to-be 35-year-old running back coming off a torn ACL and without a contract. That might make it seem like he’s reached the end of his career.
But Eagles coach Doug Pederson says Sproles is likely to be back in Philadelphia this season.
“We’ve reached out to him during the free agency period, and talked to him,” Pederson said. “He’s expressed that he wants to be back here. He knows we want him back here. Heck yeah. He’s a big part of our team. [He’s a] punt returner, he’s a tremendous back, third down guy. So we’ll see what falls out. He wants to still play, and I want him to play, and I want him to be an Eagle.”
Pederson said there’s no rush because Sproles always gets himself into shape on his own time.
“He’s one of those guys, you’ve seen what he’s done in the last couple of offseasons,” Pederson said. “He hasn’t been here. He spends time with his family. He comes in from time to time, and I’m not concerned about Darren Sproles going forward. I just know the way he works, the way he trains, the way he gets himself prepared, if and when he decides to sign and come back, come on. We’re ready for him.”
Sproles is currently the active leader among all NFL players with 19,155 career all-purpose yards. With a good season in 2018, he could become just the fifth player in NFL history to top 20,000.
