McCoy-Alonso Trade

Wow, no one saw this coming. When I saw this little tidbit pop up on my phone, I was floored. After a short stay with their opposing teams, McCoy and Alonso would trade places to fit glaring needs on both teams. Now how exactly does this trade help some very important parties?

Buffalo Bills
The Bills have a decent set of RBs at their disposal, but none of them know how to stay healthy. With C.J. Spiller getting injured more and more each season, and Fred Jackson about to hit 35, the Bills are looking to strengthen their run game. By adding McCoy to the mix, the Bills get a very versatile back with speed and agility, something the Bills have lacked at that position for quite a few years now. Now the Bills' run was not the worst in the league, but they lacked a serious playmaker at the position. Jackson was more effective in the pass game, having 66 catches for 501 yards. Spiller is coming off of his second worst season (worst being his rookie year) where he only played 9 games. The Bills were right to make a play for McCoy
The better news of this is not just for the team as a whole, but for whoever is awarded the job of starting QB. With the carousel of QBs over the past two years between Kyle Orton, EJ Manuel, and even Kevin Kolb, it's no wonder the Bills cannot make it to the playoffs. The reason was lack of a run game. Last season, there were 7 total rushing TDs. Two of those were by by the QB. With a better back now lining up behind the starting QB, the Bills will effectively run the ball, which will open up the passing game for the young receivers. The only thing Buffalo will have to do now is secure a good left or right tackle in the draft or free agency to give McCoy room.

Philadelphia Eagles
Well it looks like Chip Kelly is getting the band back together in Philly from Oregon. Alonso is now the eight Oregon player on the Philadelphia depth chart. With all of the talk going around that the Eagles are going to try and trade up for Marcus Mariota, it sure looks as though Kelly wants his Ducks to go to the Eagles.
In the 2013 season Kiko Alonso would be named Defensive Rookie of the Year. He had 159 tackles and 4 ints as a LB for the Bills. Before the season started, the reigning DROY would be sidelined for the entire 2014 season with a torn ACL. Now this is a very serious injury. Many players do not come back as strong as they were a player after sustaining this injury. The best case scenario is Adrian Peterson in 2012, rushing for over 2,000 yards after a torn ACL in 2011. Other players, this is not the case. But all signs for Kiko look good. He has had now 6 months to recover and train. Also, being back under the coach you worked with in college can help his game mentality, considering there is already a relationship there.
Overall, the Philly defense looked great last year. The Eagles had 49 sacks and 8 defensive TDs. But this was all due to a powerful line the Eagles had. When it came to defending in the secondary, they were 31st in the league for passing yards. In December, they allowed 6 passing TDs. Two from the Seahawks, a running team. One from the Giants, a team with one healthy receiver. And 3 from the Cowboys, all to Dez Bryant on Bradley Fletcher. Kiko will bring a great presence to the field and become the mike on the defense with Mychal Kendricks by his side.

NFC East
The other teams in the East now have one less playmaker on offense to worry about. Now doubt that when we name the top player on each team's offense in the NFC East, you get the following: Odell Beckham Jr., Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson, and LeSean McCoy. The Eagles have lost their X-Factor. Being in a group of friends where we have at least one fan of each team in that division, we were ecstatic to hear about the trade. No LeSean McCoy means Darren Sproles will be starting and not be the return man. This can make special teams defense much easier with only having to guard WR Josh Huff.
On the other hand, if the Eagles are trying to recreate the Oregon team, much like how it looks like it is going, than they will have to worry about Mariota running it. Also, with a power player like Alonso in command of the defense, the Eagles can still be as much trouble as they were last year for so many teams.

AFC East
Let's see Malcom Butler intercept this guy. By being added to the Bills roster, LeSean McCoy just became the best RB in his division. With only having to compete against Moreno, Ridley, and Johnson, McCoy will be the back to watch in that group. He is also one of the hardest players to defend in the league due to his ability to move left-to-right without losing speed and make people miss. The Bills, with this move, have become a contender in the AFC East now. With a top 5 defense, a new head coach, and now a 5-star RB lining up on offense, every team facing the Bills should circle their calendar, because they will be a tough team to beat.