PHILADELPHIA – NFL players never go hungry, up to date with everything that is cooked by the chefs in the cafeteria.
Elijah Holyfield, just 22, has his share of food, sure, but he’s still hungry. Not in some kind of food, obviously, but to prove he deserves a spot on the Eagles list.
“He’s someone who always looks hungry,” said linebacker TJ Edwards. “He wants to do everything at full speed. He plays great technique with great strength and definitely a guy that stays on my mind for sure.
The numbers game could be more difficult to determine this season, with teams having the ability to put 16 players on their practice squad, including up to six veterans. Thus, there is more flexibility when making the final decision on the list.
In the case of the Eagles, if they keep four running backs, they may need to go lighter to the tight end and / or wide receiver.
If Holyfield made a living in the ring like his father, former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, he would be able to simply beat his competition. Even though he said he did a bit of boxing growing up, that was a long time ago.
So Holyfield will have to find another way to earn a job.
He’s had a solid camp, flashing pretty much every day, whether in the running game or the passing game, but right now he would likely be the fourth running back behind Miles Sanders, Boston Scott and Corey. Clement.
He looks good in both running and catching the ball, a skill that had to be developed after catching just seven assists in three seasons at the University of Georgia.
“We throw the ball back a lot so that’s something you have to be able to do in this attack,” said Holyfield. “Just one of those things, if you can’t do it it’s going to be hard for you to do it, so that’s one of the things I’ve really been focusing on this offseason.
Holyfield looks quick too, although not being quick was one of the punches he was given out of college in 2019. He ran a 4.78 by 40 yard dash in the NFL Scouting Combine that year.
“I just continued with the training I normally do,” Holyfield said when asked if he had gone any faster. “I don’t really watch what other people say about me, I always knew I wasn’t very slow. So just come here and show what I can do. This camp was a great opportunity to show what I can do here.
Holyfield has had plenty of opportunities at this camp, many more than he did last year when he was with the Carolina Panthers, who signed him as an undrafted free agent and have spent the season on their training team.
“Being on the practice squad a lot, you don’t feel evaluated, and you do a lot of work and no one is really watching, so just the chance to come back here and play, and have the opportunity. has been great for me, ”he said. “I love to play football so this camp has been great.”
The Eagles debauched him from the Panthers’ practice squad in the week leading up to their playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks in early January, and the experience paid off for Holyfield.
“I think that was really a big deal, getting to know the coaches, getting to know a little bit more (assistant head coach / running backs coach) Duce (Staley), understand the offense a little bit then get back to it. and coming back to it has helped a lot, ”he said. “I learned so much that week that I was here, so coming back was a big step forward.”
With Miles Sanders with a lower body injury throughout most of Camp Phase Three, which began August 17, Boston Scott missed several days with an injury issue, and Corey Clement battling an illness that caused him to lose. time, Holyfield representatives came everywhere, first team, second team and third team.
And it looks like he’s making the most of those rehearsals.
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