The Philadelphia Eagles decided they couldn't sit back and watch all of the trade deadline fun happen without them, so they decided to swing a deal with their frequent trade partner, the Miami Dolphins, for running back Jay Ajayi. In return, the Dolphins will receive a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. By all accounts, it's a good calculation for a team that has gone from NFC East afterthoughts to the best team in the entire league through the first half of the season.
Eagles make their move
The news of the Ajayi trade broke on Tuesday morning, just a few hours ahead of the NFL's Tuesday trade deadline. This is not the first move the Eagles have made to improve their running game. They brought in former New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount late in free agency, a move that has paid mixed dividends for the team; he leads the team with 467 rushing yards this season.
Philadelphia has no shortage of depth in their running game, but the offensive line is starting to fall apart due to injuries, as evidenced by Carson Wentz's struggles in Sunday's win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Wentz himself is a running threat, and there are also talented and underrated backs in Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement. Nevertheless, the team likely expects Ajayi to be their lead carrier going forward - it's just a question of whether or not that's something he's capable of doing.
About Ajayi
The former fifth-round pick out of Boise State burst on to the scene last season. He started off the year disgruntled and in coach Adam Gase's doghouse, but eventually became the lead back of the Dolphins, rushing for more than 200 yards in consecutive games midway through the year. Ajayi was named to the Pro Bowl at the end of a season where he rushed for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns.
Defenses have keyed in on Ajayi this season, however.
He has carried the ball 138 times for 465 yards but has yet to reach the end zone (much to the dismay of his fantasy owners). His average yards per carry has dropped from 4.9 yards last season to 3.4 yards this season, which doesn't even rank among the top 40 running backs in the league.
The Dolphins' offense has been rather flat this season, which can't be the way the Eagles offense is described. Perhaps with a better passing game supplanting the running back position, Ajayi can break back out and be the missing piece of a Super Bowl run for Philadelphia this season.