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Philadelphia Eagles running back Byron Marshall is no longer a running back. The Eagles have switched Marshall to wide receiver. Dave Spadaro wrote as much here on Bleeding Green Nation.
The Eagles have moved Byron Marshall to receiver and he hopes to make it as a “move” player.
This news isn’t a total shock considering the 5-9, 201 pound Marshall played in a wide receiver for the Oregon Ducks in college. In his junior season in 2014, Marshall logged 74 receptions for 1,003 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
The Eagles signed Marshall as an undrafted free agent following the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent time on Philadelphia’s practice squad last season before the Eagles signed him to their main roster in December. Marshall finished his rookie season with 19 attempts for 64 rushing yards (3.4 average) and three receptions for 10 receiving yards.
For more on Marshall, check out this insight from an Oregon Ducks writer.
The pure versatility has to be Marshall's biggest strong suit. Not very often do you see a 1,000 rusher transform themselves in an off season into a 1,000 receiver. He's a very unselfish player who was willing to put the team needs first over his own. Obviously this paid off as often during the championship game run, he was Marcus Mariota's go to guy.
As a receiver, Marshall has very good hands and a solid ability to make grabs with body control. As a runner he is able to use his size to shift through gaps and break in the next level. I really like him in the screen game and think that he can do a good job filling in that role.
You can also see Marshall’s receiving ability in his highlights video.
With Marshall moving to receiver, the Eagles only have the following running backs under contract: Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, and Terrell Watson. Mathews is expected to be released once he’s healthy enough to pass a physical.
Marshall isn’t the only Eagles player to change positions this offseason. Taylor Hart made a change from defensive tackle to offensive tackle.