The Philadelphia Eagles made an interesting move on Wednesday, signing former North Texas running back, DeAndre Torrey.
Who is DeAndre Torrey?
DeAndre Torrey is a shorter back at 5’7, 199 lbs and like many his size, makes his paydirt as a dual-threat running back. He put up 1,215 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns during his final career with North Texas. He was often asked to line up in the slot and catch balls out of the backfield, as evidenced by his 436 career receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns.
The move does come as a slight surprise. When looking at the Eagles backfield, it’s very clear that versatility is the name of the game, and adding another back with an identical skillset to that of Gainwell or even Boston Scott doesn’t really add that extra dimension it’s missing.
The Eagles led the NFL in rushing last year and the presence of Jordan Howard was a huge catalyst in their sharp rise in production over the latter half of the season. Howard isn’t on the team anymore and only Jason Huntley and UDFA Kennedy Brooks really have the build to fill that void. One would assume it’s a hole that Sirianni would want to fill, especially when looking back at how his backfields in Indianapolis operated.
How does Torrey fit the Eagles?
However, Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork noted that Torrey is patient, disciplined, and has great ball-carrier vision. Those are the traits that really made Howard thrive behind this offensive line, and the traits that have often alluded top back, Miles Sanders.
It will be interesting to see if Torrey can apply some pressure to someone like Boston Scott, who has clung onto a roster spot for another year due to his ability to produce in a pinch…and likely decimate the New York Giants.
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