It was one of the most head-scratching moves this offseason. The Philadelphia Eagles sent LeSean McCoy, one of the best running backs in the league, to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso. It was also weird that it was a one-for-one deal. I still feel like Philly could've gotten more in exchange, but it didn't.
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As it turns out, Alonso wasn't the original target of Chip Kelly. The Eagles wanted draft picks when they shopped McCoy to Buffalo. According to Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB, Buffalo general manager Doug Whaley told Eagles brass to look over the roster.
When Philadelphia countered with Alonso, the trade was done in thirty minutes. Philadelphia's quick turn from wanting draft picks to just accepting Alonso really shows that the team was ready to move on from McCoy. You just don't go from wanting draft picks to just accepting something else if you are truly ready to get rid of a player.
McCoy attributed the trade to Kelly's dislike toward star players, but the team signed Dallas Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray in his spot. The trade more so happened because the relationship between Kelly and McCoy was strained past the point of repair. McCoy was also not the best fit for Kelly's offense.
In the end, I think it worked out for both teams. Buffalo got a dynamic back and Philly used the cap space it saved from the trade and got Alonso, Ryan Matthews and Murray.
