With the Eagles enduring several injuries en route to squeaking out the NFC East title, running back Boston Scott has emerged through the rubble as a key facet to the Philadelphia offense.
Thirteen Philadelphia players are currently on injured reserve, including receivers Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson, running backs Corey Clement and Darren Sproles, defensive tackle Malik Jackson, offensive guard Brandon Brooks and cornerback Ronald Darby.
Thanks to a breakout performance in Week 17, once-unknown Boston Scott will help guide the Eagles on Sunday as they take on the Seahawks in an NFC wild-card matchup.
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Boston Scott is another short Eagles running back
Scott checked in at 5-7 tall at the 2018 combine and weighed 195 pounds. Various sites have Scott listed at either 5-6 or 5-7 and about 203 pounds.
A story published by The Philadelphia Inquirer last month shared that Scott's body mass index (BMI) of around 32.0 indicates that Scott is technically obese. Like most athletes, though, a substantial percentage of Scott's weight is muscle instead of fat.
Scott's small stature isn't foreign to the Eagles. Darren Sproles, who has been with the Eagles since 2014, is listed at 5-6 and 190 pounds on the Eagles' official site. Sproles is currently on injured reserve due to a torn muscle in his hip, so it's natural Scott fills that role.
He was a late-blooming NFL prospect
A product of Louisiana, Scott stayed home and went to Louisiana Tech, which is located about four hours from his hometown of Zachary, La. Scott redshirted and was a member of the scout team his freshman year and carried the ball once his entire sophomore season for a 3-yard gain against Western Kentucky in 2014. Scott carved out a slightly bigger role as a redshirt sophomore, logging at least four rushing attempts six times during the 2015 season.
Scott's upperclassmen seasons were his most successful years on campus. He had a 137-yard, three-touchdown performance against Rice as a junior that helped carve out a larger role for the final months of his junior season and into his senior year. As a senior, Scott racked up 1,840 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, logged 32 receptions for 307 yards and led Louisiana Tech to a 51-10 blowout win over SMU in the Frisco Bowl.
Scott was selected 201st overall in the sixth round of the 2018 draft by the Eagles.
He was buried in the preseason depth chart
Scott's starting role for Sunday's NFC wild-card matchup wasn't built overnight. Last season, Scott appeared in just two games and recorded a combined 14 snaps on special teams.
The Louisiana Tech product entered the 2019 preseason buried in the Eagles' initial depth chart. He was slotted behind Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams.
Sanders and Howard are Philadelphia's leading rushers this season, though both have battled injuries this season; Clement and Sproles are both done for the year while Smallwood was put on waivers before the season and now plays for the Redskins, and Josh Adams was picked up by the Jets in November off the Eagles' practice squad.
As of October, Scott was still a member of the practice squad.
He is known for the 'slowest spin on Earth'
Amid his breakout performance in Week 17's division-clinching win over the Giants, Scott broke out a slowly-developing spin move on a 39-yard run.
A 39-yard run? @BostonScott2 has spin there, done that. 🔥😆@insidetheNFL | @Eagles pic.twitter.com/leOsAPKpNO
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 31, 2019
The spin prompted running backs coach Duce Staley to call it the "slowest spin on Earth."
After Scott's name blew up for his three-touchdown game that drew NFC Offensive Player of the Week awards, he took to Twitter to joke about the spin.
Sorry bout the spin move WiFi made the game lag
— Boston Scott (@BostonScott2) December 30, 2019
He is quickly becoming a fan favorite with a cool TD dance
Going from a practice squad member in October to a Week 17 hero is enough to make any player a team's fan favorite — and that's especially been the case for Scott. He also caused a stir on social media after scoring his third touchdown against the Giants because he can do ... this.
“I appreciate the support. I’ve seen some memes on social media. People tag me and stuff. I think that’s funny," Scott told NBCSports.
The competitive spirit and gritty attitude have been recognized by Scott's coaches, teammates and the fans of Philadelphia.
“I guess I’ve been through a lot getting to this point," Scott said about connecting with Eagles fans. "I don’t know. I’m just doing my job and trying to stay true to myself.”