The Philadelphia Eagles may have found a gem in late free agency with running back and former 6th-round pick Elijah Mitchell, signing the 5-foot-10, 200-pound veteran on Tuesday.
Mitchell put up 1,100 yards of total offense and scored 6 touchdowns as a rookie with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021.
“Eagles signed RB Elijah Mitchell,” The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane wrote on his official X account on Tuesday.
Mitchell suffered a torn MCL in his 2nd season and only played 5 regular-season games, but bounced back in 2023 and was critical in helping lift the 49ers to an NFC Championship Game win over the Detroit Lions, including a touchdown in that game.
Mitchell suffered a season-ending hamstring injury before the 2024 season, costing him the entire year, then played for both the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots in 2025.
Dominated Sun Belt, Wowed at Pro Day
Mitchell, a Louisiana native, dominated at his home state University of Louisiana and finished with just more than 3,800 yards of total offense and an incredible 46 touchdowns in 4 seasons — including just 5 games in an injury-shortened freshman season.
Mitchell wowed at Louisiana’s Pro Day, running the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds to propel him into the late rounds of the 2021 NFL draft.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein correctly predicted Mitchell would be a 6th or 7th round pick.
“Productive runner with good size but lacks the quickness and juice to force defenses to respect the full width of the football field against him,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation in 2021. “While he’s experienced in outside zone, he might be too tight-hipped, lacking the burst necessary as a one-cut runner. He does have the size and vision to bang around inside, but he’s not very dynamic or creative and needs it well-blocked in front of him. He might have to step it up in pass protection and as a special teams player to create a spot for himself as a third-down back with value in the kicking game.”
Eagles Running Game Fell Flat in 2025
After 1 of the more dominant seasons in NFL history rushing the ball in 2024, the Eagles fell flat in 2025.
In 2024, running back Saquon Barkley was not only named NFL Offensive Player of the Year but also became just the 9th player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season on the way to a Super Bowl win.
In 2025, Barkley saw those numbers pretty much cut in half while the Eagles’ offense floundered all season — a season that ended with a 23-19 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Round.
One thing going for Mitchell’s hopes? The Eagles didn’t draft a running back in 2026 and only signed 1 in free agency — Dameon Pierce on a 1-year contract.
“Pierce joins an intriguing backfield group that is led by Saquon Barkley and includes Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley,” ESPN’s Jeff McLane wrote on March 25. “A fourth-round pick by the Texans in 2022, Pierce had a strong rookie season (939 rushing yards, four touchdowns) but has been hampered by lower-body injuries in recent seasons. He was waived by the Texans around the midpoint of last season and was picked up by the Chiefs, appearing in just one game for Kansas City. This is a low-risk move with decent upside for Philadelphia should Pierce return to somewhere near his rookie form.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Eagles Sign 1,100-Yard RB Who Previously Starred for 49ers appeared first on HEAVY.
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)