Eagles need a healthy dose of RB Mathews

THE THING is, Ryan Mathews is really good.

That was vividly apparent in the Eagles' Saturday and Sunday training camp practices. There was no tackling, but Mathews looked smooth and swift, gliding effortlessly around end, making sharp cuts up the gut.

When did the team last boast a physical, 220-pound runner with this much talent? Mathews' position coach, Duce Staley, in his very best years, more than a decade back, probably.

But when the Eagles begin their preseason Thursday at home against Tampa Bay, the crowd won't reflect a lot of fans with No. 24 jerseys reading "Mathews" on the back. (This would be an excellent way to repurpose your Nnamdi or Sheldon Brown jersey, however.)

Nobody seems terribly excited to see what Mathews can do as the Birds' featured runner, because if there is one thing Philly fans hate, it's being suckered, and Mathews, 28, has managed a 200-carry load only twice in his six NFL seasons. Both times he broke the 1,000-yard barrier - 1,091 yards on 222 attempts in 2011, 1,255 yards on 285 attempts in 2013. Each time, Mathews started fewer than 10 games the next season, because of injuries.

In 2015, his first with the Eagles, Mathews totaled just 106 carries behind starter DeMarco Murray, gaining 539 yards, for a career-best 5.1 yards per carry, but he needed groin surgery in January; turned out that was why he wasn't nearly as effective down the stretch as he had been early.

Then, last month, with Murray gone and Mathews labeled the starter, he came to camp with an ankle injury suffered in training, and didn't get on the field until Friday.

Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who was with Mathews in San Diego in 2013 and 2014, said he doesn't think fans should write off Mathews because of his injury history.

"Yeah, he's gotten a few bad breaks. But this has happened before, guys have been (repeatedly injured), and then run off three or four great years in a row," Reich said. "He's still a fairly young guy . . . There's no telling what could happen.

"He's a physical runner. Running backs are gonna get banged up. You can't predict it. I don't know what the answer is there. You can't change who you are. You can't say, 'Hey, run out of bounds, or do this or do that.' You've gotta play it out. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

"You've gotta prepare the best you can, run the way you know how. There's no other way to do it."

Mathews said that one offseason, he really went above and beyond to try to injury-proof his body. The season began, and "I broke both collarbones," he said.

"I'm not one to shy away from contact," Mathews said. "I think that's just my play. I like to be physical and try and impose my will. I think that's one thing they like about me, is my physicality. I'm just going to keep doing what I do; I'm not going to change myself, no matter what. I'm just going to try to get better for the team."

We haven't really seen Doug Pederson's offense in a game, but usually in West Coastish schemes, the backs have to be able pass receivers. The Eagles clearly have a weapon there in 33-year-old Darren Sproles. But if Mathews trots off the field for Sproles in every passing situation, opponents just might discern a trend. Mathews has caught as many as 50 passes in a season, in 2011, though they went for only 455 yards, his career high.

Reich said the roles won't be that starkly defined, that Mathews can be a pass-game asset.

"Is he Sproles out of the backfield? Nobody's Sproles . . . but in the pass game, he can do more than enough to be in there on any down that we need him to be in there," Reich said.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that the Eagles were in "heavy negotiations" for the services of free-agent linebacker Stephen Tulloch, a Jim Schwartz stalwart in Tennessee and Detroit.

A source close to the situation said Sunday that the talks continue, but that nothing seems imminent.

The Eagles certainly could use linebacker depth, if Tulloch is willing to come here in that role. Tulloch (5-11, 230) is 31 now, and it isn't clear he could unseat any of the starting triumvirate of Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks and Mychal Kendricks. Tulloch almost certainly would play in the middle if he did start, which might move Hicks outside. Najee Goode is the only veteran backup linebacker on the roster.

Schwartz, the Eagles' defensive coordinator, said Sunday he has "a lot of background with Steve . . . a lot of respect for that guy and his production."

But Schwartz said he would defer to Howie Roseman, Joe Douglas and the personnel department to decide if Tulloch should be signed.

"I trust those guys to explore every option that would help us," Schwartz said.

Tulloch came back to start 15 games for the Lions last season after tearing an ACL the year before, celebrating a sack.

Tough day for all the QBs, who could probably use the off day coming up after Monday . . . Reports of cornerback Eric Rowe's demise have been absurdly exaggerated. Rowe has looked pretty good lately . . . Corner JaCorey Shepherd is out with a hamstring injury . . . DE Steven Means (6-3, 263) has made some plays, which might be worth noting now that Marcus Smith is sidelined by a concussion. "Pun intended, he 'means' business," Jim Schwartz said. "He comes to work. He's physical. He fits the scheme. He's tall. He's got long arms. He can build some power with speed. You might want to ask the tight ends about him because he's been giving those guys some tough situations to handle." . . . Among those still sidelined are S Malcolm Jenkins (hamstring), LT Jason Peters (quad), WR Jordan Matthews (knee), DT Mike Martin (knee) and RB Wendell Smallwood (quad).

@LesBowen

Blog: philly.com/Eaglesblog