The rebuilding Bills are wasting the final years of LeSean McCoy's prime while the Eagles are fighting for their playoff lives without their starting running back, which leads to an obvious question: Could the Bills and Eagles work out a deal that would send McCoy back to Philadelphia?
It's still unclear. On Wednesday, Bills coach Sean McDermott didn't confirm the WIVB report that said the two teams are talking about a McCoy trade.
"LeSean is one of our better players," McDermott told reporters, per ESPN's Mike Rodak. "I thought he had a good game [in Sunday's 13-12 win over the Tennessee Titans]. Really, we're just looking forward to playing the Houston Texans [this Sunday].
"We get calls all the time. Incoming calls happen all the time. [General manager] Brandon [Beane] and I talk a lot. I won't go into any more detail than that. Really, again, this is a big week for us. Another opportunity to get better. Another opportunity for us to develop as a football team against a very good opponent, in particular down there in a tough place to play."
He also didn't deny the report.
"I'm not gonna go into any more detail than I said," McDermott said.
McCoy, 30, has been one of the NFL's most productive running backs since the Eagles drafted him in the second round back in 2009. Since entering the league, he ranks first in yards from scrimmage (13,704) and second in touchdowns (81). But he's stuck on arguably the least talented team in football, playing alongside a rookie quarterback, and running behind a bad offensive line. In four games, he's generated only 170 rushing yards (3.8 yards per attempt) and 64 receiving yards.
He's scheduled to become a free agent after the 2019 season, though the Bills can cut him in the offseason and save roughly $7 million in cap space, per Spotrac. But the Bills shouldn't wait until the offseason to cut him for free when they might be able to get something in return for him right now. McCoy isn't putting them over the top this year. They might as well get something they can use in the future for a player who likely isn't going to be around when the rebuild is complete.
While McCoy isn't focused on a potential trade, he doesn't sound opposed to a reunion with his former team.
"I should have never gotten traded [from Philadelphia] anyway," McCoy said. "I was killing stuff, you know? But I don't ever really pay too much attention to it."
The Eagles, meanwhile, just lost Jay Ajayi to a season-ending ACL tear. Their leading rusher from last season, LeGarrette Blount, plays for the Lions. Darren Sproles is banged up, but he's at least nearing a return. While they have some nice complimentary pieces who can fill in -- namely Corey Clement and Wendell Smallwood -- the Eagles are lacking a true RB1. McCoy could obviously fill that need while the Eagles could provide the Bills with draft ammunition to help them in their rebuilding process.
Just because it makes sense doesn't mean it'll actually happen. The Eagles might not want to bring McCoy back. The Bills' asking price might be too high. Or maybe the Eagles will just trade for Le'Veon Bell instead. But the trade would make sense for everyone involved.
The trade deadline isn't until Oct. 30, so any potential trade talks could drag out for a couple weeks.