October 31, 2017
The Philadelphia Eagles have pushed their chips onto the table. According to the team, the Eagles have traded for Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi, and all it took was a fourth round pick in 2018.
In 2016, Ajayi was fourth in the NFL in rushing, when he the carried the ball 260 times for 1272 yards (4.9 YPC) and 8 TDs. He also had 27 receptions for 151 yards. Here's a highlight reel from 2016.
He has gotten off to a slower start in 2017, as he has been slowed by a knee injury. Ajayi has 138 carries for 465 yards (3.4 YPC) and no scores.
The Eagles' current stable of running backs have shared playing time this season, as only LeGarrette Blount has carried the ball 100 times this year. A look at the Eagles' running backs' numbers:
| Eagles RBs | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
| LeGarrette Blount | 100 | 467 | 4.7 | 2 |
| Wendell Smallwood | 38 | 143 | 3.8 | 1 |
| Corey Clement | 36 | 131 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Darren Sproles | 15 | 61 | 4.1 | 0 |
| Kenjon Barner | 12 | 34 | 2.8 | 0 |
The 6'0, 223 Ajayi is a bruising runner with good athletic measurables:
Ajayi is also cheap, as he is still on his rookie deal, and has a salary of just $615,000 this season.
So why only a fourth round pick? According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Ajayi and head coach Adam Gase did not get along. Meanwhile, Jeff Darlington of ESPN says the Dolphins are concerned about Ajayi's knees:
Something to keep in mind about Ajayi trade: Dolphins don’t believe he has much left in his knees. Longer-term play. Something to watch for.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) October 31, 2017
Still, in the short-term, the Eagles got better as a football team today.
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