Philadelphia Eagles Win McCoy-Alonso Trade

USA Today Sports

            In a blockbuster move, the Philadelphia Eagles will trade star running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso.

            There are rarely player-for-player deals of this magnitude executed in the NFL. This deal is particularly intriguing because two well-known players were swapped by two high-profile coaches—the Bills’ Rex Ryan and the Eagles’ Chip Kelly.

            McCoy instantly becomes the face of the Bills’ offense, which ranked 25^th in rushing in 2014. In his six seasons with the Eagles, McCoy posted four 1,000-yard rushing campaigns, including a career-best 1,607 yards in 2013. Over the past five years, McCoy has rushed for more yards (6,155) than any other running back in the NFL. Overall, the former second-round draft pick rushed 1,461 times for 6,792 yards and 44 touchdowns in his tenure in Philadelphia. He also hauled in 300 receptions for 2,282 yards and 10 touchdowns.

            Alonso—the former Oregon Duck who played his senior season under the tutelage of Kelly—joins a strong linebacker crew in Philadelphia. Alongside Mychal Kendricks, Alonso can help form one of the fastest interior linebacker duos in the NFL. Alonso finished as the runner-up to New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2013. In his rookie season, Alonso led the Bills with 159 tackles and was tied for the team lead with four interceptions. He had two fumble recoveries and appeared in all 16 games. However, the 24-year-old sat out the entire 2014 season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in a July workout at Oregon.

Who Won the Trade?

            The stunning trade leaves the Eagles thin at running back with just Darren Sproles and Chris Polk on the depth chart. Kelly, though, can address this in the upcoming draft—one that features plenty of talent at tailback. The Eagles could wait until the second or third-round and still land an explosive halfback. University of Miami’s Duke Johnson, Indiana’s Tevin Coleman and Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne all possess the necessities to fit in with Kelly’s unique offense—that is line up out of the shotgun often, run inside and outside the tackles and be a reliable threat in the passing game.

            The Eagles moved on from McCoy at the right time. He turns 27 in July and has a $10.25 million cap hit for 2015. His current contract runs through the 2017 season, earning base salaries of $6.9 million in '16, and $7.6 million in '17. McCoy had no interest in restructuring his deal—signed in May 2012—so the Bills must pay a hefty price for their running back over the next three seasons. Alonso, meanwhile, is still on his rookie contract, which pays him just under $1 million next season.

            Alonso will fit well in the Eagles 3-4 defense. Alonso and his soon-to-be-teammate Kendricks are both quick with great coverage skills. Reuniting with his college coach should help further develop Alonso, who will likely improve Philadelphia’s struggles against the run (15^th) and pass (31^st) from last year.

            McCoy is still a top-flight halfback with the potential to 
thrive in a ground-and-pound offense that the Bills are expected to utilize next season. But the career lifespan of running backs in the NFL is not long. Come next season McCoy will be 27—the cliff age of running backs, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. And as good as McCoy has been for the Eagles, he is not irreplaceable. 

            Acquiring a rising star in Alonso—who has shown flashes of Luke Kuechly—puts the Eagles in great shape for the future. Shedding immense salary cap is an added bonus in a fantastic trade for Philadelphia. The Bills may win the trade in 2015—but in five years we are more likely to be raving about Alonso, the stud linebacker who reformed Kelly's defense for several seasons.