NFL: Preseason-Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenjon Barner (41) runs with the ball during the second half of a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

(Bill Streicher)

As of now, Eagles running back Kenjon Barner is working with the starters out of necessity.

Soon, however, it could be his job to keep.

The Eagles are roughly a month into their offseason workouts, and so far they have been without all three of their top running backs from last season, all for different reasons.

Darren Sproles, who was arguably the team's best running back last season, has made the decision to stay away from workouts.

Ryan Mathews has been in Philadelphia and doing some work, but he is still recovering from offseason surgery, and even when he has practiced, it has been with the second team.

DeMarco Murray? Well, he is now in Tennessee.

That leaves Barner, the third-year player who came to the Eagles in 2014 via a trade from the Carolina Panthers. At the time, Barner was viewed as just another Oregon player being brought in by then-head coach Chip Kelly. But even with Doug Pederson now coaching the team, and Howie Roseman running the show, Barner remains.

His play during minicamps makes it easy to see why.

While there are no pads or hitting during practices, Barner has looked very sharp during the two practices open to the media, and has made a number of nice plays.

It is clear watching Barner run the ball that he is quicker than Mathews, and does a much better job making sharp cuts than the veteran does.

Barner has also been doing a nice job out of the backfield, and in the team's third minicamp which was held last week, the running back made a diving catch over the middle of the field, securing the ball before it hit the ground.

It is that kind of versatility that could lead to Barner potentially getting way more playing time than expected, especially now that the team will be running Pederson's offense.

If Pederson does run the same offense that his mentor Andy Reid did in Kansas City, it is expected that the running backs will be getting plenty of targets out of the backfield, which could work in Barner's favor.

While Barner has great hands out of the backfield, Mathews struggled last season with drops, and Sproles' status with the team is very much up in the air. Rookie running back Wendell Smallwood has also looked good during practices, and like Barner, is a capable pass catcher out of the backfield. His status as a rookie, however, could keep him on the bench towards the beginning of the season.

That leaves Barner, who has added extra muscle this past offseason, and appears ready to take a big step forward in his fourth season.

A step that, at least as things look now, could end up with him at the top of the depth chart.

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Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Sports on Facebook.