The old saying in the NFL is that if you are staying still, you are really going backward. So the Eagles, as they approached the league’s trade deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, kept their ears and eyes open, understanding the opportunity for the rest of the season in front of them. And then a name popped up on the radar screen that Howie Roseman and the personnel department couldn’t ignore: Running back .
A deal was done, relatively quickly. At the cost of a fourth-round draft pick – a longshot to make an impact in the NFL by any metrics used – the Eagles acquired a running back who is in his third season played in the Pro Bowl last year after gaining more than 200 yards in three different games and whose attitude and style fits in with what the Eagles do offensively.