Devil’s Advocate: Four Reasons Philadelphia Eagles benefited from LeSean McCoy Trade

Dec 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) runs with the ball against the New York Giants in the first quarter during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

In the aftermath of a trade, one of the first questions is, “Who won this deal?” Yesterday’s trade between the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills that swapped LeSean McCoy and star linebacker Kiko Alonso in a rare NFL blockbuster move was the perfect example of how both teams can win a trade.

The Bills were able to land someone whom they can run the offense through, which is especially important given that they don’t have a real franchise quarterback. Rex Ryan and Greg Roman are set to ride “Shady” heavily next season, and he and Sammy Watkins give the Bills two of the NFL’s most exciting playmaking ability. Of course, McCoy is a well-rounded, three-down back who can function as a workhorse, so he brings more to the table than just breakaway ability.

McCoy is the bigger name of the two, but you can’t underestimate how great of a linebacker Alonso is, and it’s hard to dock him too much for his ACL tear. Barring anything extremely unlikely, he should be back and as good as ever, which means the Eagles will have one of the league’s best defensive playmakers on their hands.

Again, this is a deal that could end up being a massive win for both teams, so instead of trying to pick a winner, let’s look at how the Eagles, who are more open to criticism since McCoy is the more recognizable player, benefited after this move.

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