PHILADELPHIA -- It was hard to miss Wendell Smallwood last week, during the Philadelphia Eagles' only open organized team activities session.

The rookie running back got a lot of work, and he made the most of it. No one was wearing pads or tackling, which certainly makes life easier for running backs. But Smallwood stood out because of his quick burst and his knack for finding open space.

There is no telling how much the fifth-round pick from West Virginia will actually play during the 2016 regular season. It is early. And his workload in a May OTA practice likely had more to do with circumstance than with coach Doug Pederson’s actual plans.

The circumstance can be summed up as: The Eagles don’t have many running backs right now.

Veteran Darren Sproles was not there. DeMarco Murray, last year’s leading rusher and lead disappointment, is long gone. Byron Marshall, the undrafted rookie free agent, was not in attendance because of Oregon’s academic schedule.

Ryan Mathews was running with the first team. Kenjon Barner was next on the depth chart. Cedric O'Neal, an undrafted rookie from Valdosta State, was out there. Other than Smallwood, that was it.

The Eagles didn’t even have a fulltime fullback. Tight end Chris Pantale lined up in the backfield a few times, but that was it.

Pederson has said he intends to run the ball. It is a big part of his version of the West Coast offense. If Mathews can stay healthy and Sproles is effective, the Eagles will have at least a solid one-two punch.

But Sproles will turn 33 next month and has never carried the ball more than 100 times in 10 NFL seasons. Mathews has been healthy for all 16 games just once in his six-year NFL career. Barner has carried the ball a total of 34 times in two NFL seasons.

That means there is a very good chance the Eagles will need another running back at some point in the 2016 season, and Smallwood is the likeliest candidate for the job.

"His production was really good [in college],” Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said after the draft. “He can run, he can catch, he can pass protect. I'm not saying this is LeSean McCoy in the fifth round, but this is a good player."

Smallwood is listed at 5-foot-10, 208 pounds. That’s two inches shorter than Mathews, but only 12 pounds lighter. It is the same height as McCoy, the Eagles’ all-time leading rusher. McCoy is listed at 215 pounds.

"I definitely see myself as an every-down back," Smallwood told reporters last week, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. “I'm not little. A lot of people think I'm little and can't run between the tackles. But I'm here to prove everyone wrong."

He got off to a good start in OTAs. There wasn’t a lot of full-speed pass protection to worry about, but Smallwood showed a burst as a running back and was sure-handed catching the ball.

Those are crucial qualities for a back in a West Coast-based offense. Sproles has the quickness and the pass catching ability, but at 5-foot-6 he’s not the guy you want between a linebacker and your quarterback. Mathews has the right skill set, but the Eagles are going to need more than one running back.

Smallwood, who grew up an Eagles fan in nearby Wilmington, Del., is in position to fill an important role on his new team.