Philadelphia Eagles trade deadline primer: Running backs edition

Theo Riddick or Ameer Abdullah (Detroit Lions)

I would love to include the name LeGarrette Blount into the discussion here. Nothing would be more pleasing than to have the rumbling, stumbling red zone threat who brought us the Lombardi Trophy back.

He’s now settled into the same type of role with the Detroit Lions this season alongside rookie Kerryon Johnson leaving the two longest-tenured Lions wondering what went wrong.

Ameer Abdullah is the better option of the two. He entered the league with a solid rookie season, went through the injury troubles in his sophomore campaign, and came back strong in his third year. He rushed for over 500 yards in each season he was healthy and found the end zone six times. He doesn’t bring that lead back threat but is an athletic option to supplement Clement and Smallwood.

Theo Riddick has been in the league slightly longer than Abdullah, and age could be a factor. He’s 27 and currently battling a knee injury. That combination could allow the Eagles to acquire Riddick at a fraction of the cost.

Bringing on an injured player may not be the best move, but he could serve as a safety valve while Clement and Smallwood show the coaches whether they have the ability to carry the running load on their own.

The upside to Riddick is that he’s a speedster, much like Sproles, with the ability to handle a minor role in the rushing game. More importantly, he has the ability to pick up mid-range gains on pass plays to spread the field out on first and second downs. This would open up the run game on third and short, and keep the birds from third and unmanageable situations that they seem to be in more often than not.