Lesean McCoy caused a stir on social media with this Instagram post last night:
This has a lot of fans excited over the possibility of a reunion, but I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.
McCoy doesn’t make a ton of sense at this point given his age, ineffectiveness, and lack of presence in short yardage situations—which is where the Eagles’ focus should be when filling out their running back rotation.
They could address that in the Draft next month, but there are a couple of backs in free agency who fit that role.
Carlos Hyde
Hyde is a physical back who can get tougher yards inside when asked. He ran for over 1,000 yards with the Texans last season, so he could also provide the Birds a legitimate “1b” option who can take some of the load off Miles Sanders.
It’s not clear what sort of situation Hyde is looking for, but given his age (30) nobody will be willing to factor his 1,000 yard season into a new contract, so he can likely be added at a modest price.
Isaiah Crowell
Crowell spent the entire 2019 season on the IR, so the market for him is understandably quiet. But he profiles better as a short-yardage back than Hyde, and he can be a similar “1b” compliment to Sanders.
Prior to his injury he was a committee/goal line back for the Browns over parts of four seasons, before having a solid 2018 campaign in New York that saw him average 4.8 yards per carry. And while he’s nothing to write home about as a pass catcher, 117 receptions for 922 yards in five seasons is proof that he can be a weapon in this area.
Be careful not to pigeon-hole Crowell as a short-yardage back, he can be dangerous in the open field and is nimble enough to get the “in-between” yards. He can be relied on to carry a heavy workload if Sanders gets hurt, and he fits perfect in this rotation. He’s only 27 years old and is my preferred option between he and Hyde.
Jonathan Williams
This one is more of a flier, but Williams is only 26, plays with good physicality, and over a two game span with the Colts he totaled 220 yards on 39 carries before being benched for undisclosed reasons.
Williams has battled some injury through his career but he has a similar athletic profile to a Jordan Howard, and given he played under Reich last season the learning curve for him will be small.
My gut tells me the Eagles are planning on drafting a running back to fill this role, and if that’s the case then Williams makes sense as a depth/flier, rather than committing to a Crowell or Hyde.