ESPN explores outlandish 'LeSean McCoy to Raiders' trade

With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the Philadelphia faithful are wondering whether their Eagles are going to make a move. While the Eagles have looked solid throughout their 5-1 start, there are a number of issues to address on both sides of the ball.

One area that you would think the team might leave unaltered is the running game, spearheaded by the ever-electric LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. McCoy was the NFL's leading rusher last season, and Sproles has already tallied four touchdowns with his new team. However, a recent ESPN article proposes a trade deadline deal that would shake up that seemingly solid backfield.

In a series of posts exploring what they deem "explosive, albeit unlikely, possible deals,"' ESPN ponders the prospect of sending McCoy, along with linebacker Brandon Graham and 2015 second and fifth round picks to the Oakland Raiders for their top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, which could end up as the top overall pick.

The Worldwide Leader points to general manager Howie Roseman's affinity for making deals and Chip Kelly's willingness to part with explosive offensive parts.

From ESPN:

"Consider this from the Eagles' perspective. We know general manager Howie Roseman likes to make deals (he's done the second most in the league since his arrival in 2010), and head coach Chip Kelly has demonstrated a willingness to part with valuable offensive assets (see DeSean Jackson). Like Bill Belichick, Kelly passionately believes in the system, which is to say, himself."

The article offers more justification for the seemingly preposterous proposition in the fact that Kelly feels comfortable with Sproles as his go-to-guy in the backfield, and that Graham has been a bust:

"The Raiders need bodies. This deal brings them four, two of whom can help immediately. Although McCoy led the league in rushing in 2013, Kelly seemed comfortable with Darren Sproles playing late in the recent oh-so-close game against the Rams. Plus, there are whispers of friction between Kelly and McCoy. Graham, a former first-round pick, has never quite been the player the Eagles imagined."

According to the article, the trade itself wouldn't be the end of the facelift for the franchise, which says that the Eagles could then use the Raiders' top pick on former Chip Kelly-product Marcus Mariota, who is tagged as one of the top quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft.

The selection of Mariota would obviously signal the end for Nick Foles, who has had his struggles this year after a solid season in 2013. More from ESPN:

"Last year, Kelly worked minor miracles with quarterback Nick Foles (27 touchdowns passes, two interceptions), but despite Philadelphia's fast start this season, there have been unmistakable flaws in the guy operating under center. For example, he has thrown seven interceptions through the first six games of 2014. It's quite possible Kelly is ready to move on from Foles. What if we created a scenario in which he would be reunited with his former college quarterback, Oregon's Marcus Mariota? Kelly to Foles: Duck!"

It is quite an assumption to say that it is "quite possible" that Kelly is ready to move on from Foles, as Kelly has never said such a thing himself. The article contends however that Kelly would enjoy being reunited with Mariota, who is already familiar with his offense.

"The Raiders are in the driver's seat to produce the pick that delivers Mariota, who has already mastered Kelly's mind-melting, slash-and-burn offense."

Keep in mind, this is an extremely improbable scenario, or basically a made-up trade from the minds at ESPN, and it is unlikely that Kelly would be eager to part with one of the NFL's best backs or to uproot his current quarterback. Still though, Kelly has gone against the grain before, so everything could be considered.