History will look back on Chip Kelly’s first offseason as the Eagles’ general manager as arguably the most memorable in franchise history. It began with a move that took the Eagles’ head coach just 20 minutes to finalize.
On March 3rd, the Eagles announced that they had traded All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for inside linebacker Kiko Alonso. McCoy, the all-time leading rusher in franchise history, won the rushing title in 2013, his first year in Kelly’s offense. But a poor season in 2014, plus some nagging injuries and growing speculation that the former second-round pick didn’t get along with Chip Kelly, resulted in his trade to the Bills.
In exchange for McCoy, the Eagles acquired Alonso, a player who had been one of the league’s most dominant linebackers as a rookie in 2013 before a torn ACL cost him his entire sophomore season in the NFL. Alonso had been a standout for Kelly at the University of Oregon, although a number of off-the-field issues had caused him to fall to the second round in the 2013 draft. His rookie season started off with a bang, as Alonso collected an interception in each of his first four games. He finished the year with 159 tackles and finished second in the voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
On paper, the trade seemed to make sense for both teams. Kelly viewed his offense as plug-and-play, and McCoy’s style of running was viewed as a poor scheme fit. This led him to sign veteran Frank Gore, a well-known north-south runner. But Gore strangely backed out of his deal with Philly, leading Kelly to sign Ryan Mathews, as well as last year’s rushing champion DeMarco Murray. The combined 2015 salary for Mathews and Murray added up to just $7 million, significantly less than McCoy’s near $12 million cost.
Alonso seemingly appeared to be a perfect fit for Billy Davis’s defense. Familiar with playing under Kelly, Alonso demonstrated as a rookie that he is a tackling machine with a knack for generating turnovers, especially in pass coverage. Along with Mychal Kendricks and veteran DeMeco Ryans, he gave the Eagles arguably the top trio of inside ‘backers in the NFL.
For the Bills, McCoy fit exactly what new head coach Rex Ryan wanted to do on offense: run the ball. Many head coaches would be scared off by a running back who had already played six seasons in the league, which included consecutive 300-carry seasons. But Ryan saw past McCoy’s heavy workload, inking the 27-year-old to a new five-year deal soon after signing him.
As for Alonso, the Bills had experienced terrific play from young linebackers Preston Brown and Nigel Bradham in 2014, thus making Alonso, despite his terrific rookie season, expendable. Just like Kelly expected to be able to basically generate offensive success with average talent, Ryan expected to be able to do the same with the defensive side of the ball.
For what it’s worth, I was a big fan of the trade when it was initially announced. Reports had been circulating for months that Kelly and McCoy did not get along, and it wasn’t a secret that Kelly preferred downhill runners instead of a juking tailback like McCoy. Just a year after the Eagles’ head coach shocked the football world by releasing Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson, it was a relief to see him at least find some value for the most successful running back the Eagles have had since the days of Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren.
Things couldn’t have started off better for the Eagles, as Alonso successfully returned from his ACL tear to open Week 1 as one of the team’s two starters at inside linebacker. He recorded a tremendous highlight-reel one-handed interception in the end zone of Matt Ryan in the season-opening Monday Night Football loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Meanwhile, in Buffalo, McCoy was still heavily plagued by a hamstring issue that had been bothering him since training camp. He was also thoroughly outplayed by fifth-round rookie running back Karlos Williams.
But things headed south for the Eagles in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, when Alonso suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury. Although he was later diagnosed with just a partially torn ACL, instead of fully torn, he missed the next five games.
Since his return in Week 9, he’s been an absolute shell of himself. It’s not a stretch to say he’s been the worst defensive starter on the team. It really hasn’t been close. For the season, Alonso has collected just 14 solo tackles and six assisted tackles. He doesn’t have a sack, forced fumble or big play since his return from his injury. He’s looked completely lost on the football field, appearing to be visibly unwilling to make contact with powerful running backs. His play has been so poor that there’s been open speculation about whether the Eagles should just shut him down for the season. After all, most insist that he can’t possibly be healthy. There’s simply no way a player’s skills can erode as much as Alonso’s have from the 2013 season to now.
Meanwhile, in Buffalo, McCoy did miss a pair of games while recovering from his hamstring injury. But over the last five weeks, McCoy has looked like the 2013 version of Shady. He’s rushed for 488 yards and 3 touchdowns, displaying the same burst, explosiveness and acceleration that made him one of the game’s most dynamic running backs from 2009 to 2014.
A head-to-head comparison shows just how ironic McCoy and Alonso’s seasons have been. They’ve been complete opposites. It was McCoy who looked washed-up during the preseason, while Alonso showed flashes early that he could regain the form he displayed in 2013. But Alonso has been the one drastically underachieving for most of this season, while McCoy looks like the most improved running back from the start of the season to now.
Any trade takes more than 13 weeks to evaluate the winner and loser. It takes several seasons. If Kiko Alonso plays at a much higher level in 2016 and earns a contract extension to remain in Philly, the Eagles will have achieved what they wanted in the trade, regardless of how McCoy performs in Buffalo. As for McCoy, he’ll need to remain dominant for two more seasons after 2015 to maximize the pricey contract his new team handed him during the offseason.
But right now, three-quarters through the 2015 season, it looks like Kelly made a major mistake. In fact, it’s been the worst possible scenario for the Eagles. The trade of McCoy resulted in the Eagles signing DeMarco Murray, who has been a colossal bust in Kelly’s scheme. The Eagles are stuck with Murray for at least one more season. As for Alonso, not only did he suffer yet another major injury, but his skills have apparently eroded to replacement-level value.
When McCoy and Alonso face off on the same field on Sunday, don’t be surprised if McCoy runs circles, literally, around Alonso. It’s just been that type of season for the Eagles and Chip Kelly.
