Raise your hand if you foresaw the Philadelphia Eagles trading All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy this offseason?
No?
Anyone?
Bueller, Bueller...
Well, expected or not, there is reportedly a deal in place to send McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso. While the deal has myriad angles to consider, the first and most pressing is: who starts at running back for Chip Kelly and the Eagles next season?
According to a report from Lyons Yellin of WWL-TV Louisiana, there had already been rumors of Philadelphia showing interest in running back Mark Ingram even prior to the blockbuster trade.
"I've heard rumblings about the Eagles being interested in Mark Ingram, with today's trade those now make a whole lot more sense," Yellin tweeted.
Ingram, the 28th selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, had his best season as a pro last year, culminating in his first Pro Bowl selection. He's slated to hit free agency on March 10 after a year in which he missed three games due to a broken hand, but still managed to put up 964 yards rushing on 226 attempts for a 4.3 yards per rush average and nine touchdowns.
He's only 25 and has minimal wear on his body as last season's carry total was the highest of his four-year NFL career. He seems to be an ascending player, though he has dealt with numerous injuries already in his career.
He's a north-south, one-cut-and-go runner, which, with McCoy's unceremonious exit, would seem to be Kelly's preferred style of runner.
For what it's worth, the Saints are keeping an open dialogue with Ingram and haven't given up on seeing him return next year.
"I spoke with him today," said Saints coach Sean Payton, per Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate. "The good thing about Mark is that we're real close with his agent. We work a lot with Joel (Segal). Mickey will talk with him quite a bit. Obviously he's someone that we want to keep. Hopefully we can do that."
The Saints though, have Khiry Robinson waiting in the wings and could ultimately lose out on Ingram should the price tag prove too hefty in NFL free agency.
