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The Philadelphia Eagles have added another weapon to their offensive arsenal, trading for Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi, the team announced Tuesday morning.
According to Armando Salguero, the Eagles are sending a fourth-round pick for the running back, who had three games of 200 yards rushing or more during the 2016 season. Ajayi was a fifth-round pick in 2015.
Why the Eagles made this trade
The Eagles have suffered some injures at the position this season. They lost both Darren Sproles and Donnell Pumphrey to IR: Sproles with a torn ACL and broken arm, and Pumphrey with a torn hamstring.
The team’s workload at the position has come from LeGarrette Blount, who has had a fine season. He’s got 100 carries for 467 yards, but adding another weapon in Ajayi eases up the load on Blount, who will remain the team’s starter, according to GM Howie Roseman.
The Eagles have already been one of the most thrilling teams in the NFL through the first eight weeks of the season. Bolstering their backfield with another weapon right now seems like a win-now move, and it’s hard to blame them for making it. They’re the most impressive team this season.
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Why the Dolphins made this trade
The Dolphins are coming off an embarrassing 40-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night. Ajayi had 13 carries that evening for just 23 yards and hasn’t been quite as sharp as he was last season.
After a 1,272-yard season and eight touchdowns in 2016, Ajayi’s seen his yards per attempt drop from 4.9 to 3.4. He’s eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark just twice this season: once on opening day against the Chargers, and against the Falcons in Week 6.
The Dolphins’ offense has been rough this season, and clearly they feel Ajayi doesn’t fit into what they’re doing moving forward.