Two weeks remain before the NFL trade deadline, and, for the Philadelphia Eagles, there is one obvious course of action.
Bring back Shady.
Take some pressure off Carson Wentz. Replace Jay Ajayi. Become a Super Bowl favorite again.
LeSean McCoy, the most dynamic running back in Eagles history, was traded to Buffalo after the 2014 season, the most painful part of the Chip Kelly purge that also cost the Eagles receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. After Ajayi's season-ending knee injury Oct. 7 -- and after the Eagles renegotiated Fletcher Cox's contract and created cap space -- reports surfaced that the Eagles called the Bills to talk trade.
McCoy's return might cost Howie Roseman a little more than he'd like to pay, but these are anxious times for the Eagles, who have hemorrhaged playmakers this season.
Wentz's offensive line is in tatters. Adding McCoy provides instant relief.
The top 75 percent of the NFC East suddenly looks respectable. The Eagles are 3-3, which makes divisional play more important than ever. Both Washington and Dallas look better than advertised, with wins over Carolina and Jacksonville, respectively, this weekend.
The Birds are still the class of the division, having righted themselves with a dominating performance against the hapless Giants on Thursday.
Maybe a second- and a third-round pick are too much to pay, but rest assured, the Bills' price will drop as the season grinds on. They head to Indianapolis on Sunday 2-3 with an injured rookie quarterback and an awful backup. They'll probably have five losses by the time the Patriots get finished with them Oct. 29, the eve of the deadline. Shady should be flying down the Northeast Extension the next morning, if he's not already in the nest.
Face it: The Eagles are depleted. They lost Ajayi and receiver Mike Wallace for good.
Utility back Darren Sproles, who is 35, hasn't played in five weeks and might miss at least one more game. Sproles said he didn't know if he could play Sunday against Carolina.
Star left tackle Jason Peters (Arkansas Razorbacks), 36, is hurt again.
That's four of the top 13 offensive players.
The unit needs juice. McCoy brings juice.
Corey Clement, who missed Games 4 and 5 with a quadriceps injury, and Wendell Smallwood, with whom every carry is an adventure, have punched above their weight to date.
McCoy is a difference-maker. A workhorse. A stud. The Eagles have a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champs, and that takes playmakers, and playmakers come at a price. Pay it.
Reports from this weekend said conversations between the Birds and Bills have cooled. Reheat them. Howie's mobile plan has unlimited minutes.
McCoy turned 30 in July, which isn't optimal, but he's only under contract for one more season, and at slightly more than $6.1 million, which is highly optimal. He's still hard to tackle. He still has breakaway speed. He's not Le'Veon Bell, who has held out rather than play under a franchise tag, but he's not being paid like Bell, either. And he's under contract through next season for a fraction of what Bell will make.
Is McCoy worth it? Absolutely.
McCoy would be plug-and-play.
Roseman and his talent savant, Joe Douglas, hit home runs last year when they added LeGarrette Blount in the offseason and Ajayi at the deadline.
They clearly think that Shady can help. Roseman reportedly tried to trade for him before 2017 as well. Roseman knows Chip made a huge mistake. He has a chance to fix that.
Shady just fits in Philly.
Warts and all.
Sports on 10/16/2018