Wendell Smallwood has vivid memories of both Eagles encounters with the Washington Redskins last season.
In the first meeting, Oct. 16 at FedEx Field, Smallwood ran a kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown. In the second, Dec. 11 at the Linc, Smallwood suffered an MCL sprain that ended his rookie season. The Eagles lost both games.
We don’t know for sure how the Birds will deploy five running backs in the season opener Sunday against Washington – almost certainly, only four will be active — but Eagles coach Doug Pederson confirmed Wednesday that Smallwood will be the team’s primary kickoff returner.