The Eagles are in an interesting position in this offseason based on their limited needs at key positions, but one spot that will stay in the spotlight for the time being is running back.

Miles Sanders is likely going to be on his way out due to a pricey contract that doesn't fit the vision of where this team needs to spend, but that isn't the end of the world for the NFC Champions.

There are going to be plenty of people that point to the draft or free agency as an easy way to replace the touches that Sanders handled in 2022, but there is actually another option on the roster already that should already soak up some of those opportunities.

Kenneth Gainwell is young, efficient, has limited tread on the tires, and is an extremely cheap option to split more of the backfield duties in Philly this season.

At just 23 years old and with 177 career touches, Gainwell is in a unique middle ground between potential and already-proven talent.

While the young back from Memphis has mostly played in a reserve role over his two years with the Eagles, the production has still been very impressive. Gainwell has put together 531 rushing yards on 121 carries (4.4 ypc), 422 receiving yards on 56 receptions (7.5 ypr), and he has compiled ten total touchdowns.

This is extremely underrated efficiency when you break it down against other players with similar usage, and Gainwell has been able to do it with a catch rate of 71% and just two fumbles.

Gainwell is able to do everything well, as seen in his ridiculous college tape at Memphis, and he has been able to do it all at the highest level in his limited role with the Eagles as well. Philly has to recognize this and use the young back even more.

No one is saying that Kenneth Gainwell needs to shoot up to 400 touches on the season with the Eagles in 2023, but finding a way to get to the 150-200 range will be a great way for the team to get a remarkable return on a limited investment. 

This move would then give the Eagles some freedom to spend picks and cap on positions with a bit more value in the modern era, even if the production doesn't fully match up with what Sanders did, but even his performance in 2022 shows that you don't have to be the best RB in the league to find success with the Eagles.

The choice should be clear for the Eagles: play your highly-efficient young back in Kenneth Gainwell. You may just be surprised how great he would be with a more traditional workload.

Featured image via Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports