Free-agent options for Eagles at halfback

From Duce Staley to Brian Westbrook to LeSean McCoy, the Eagles went 17 seasons with a top running back who was drafted and developed by the team. Westbrook was ready to replace Staley, and McCoy apprenticed behind Westbrook before taking the job.

Now the Eagles must replace McCoy.

With McCoy's Eagles career coming to a close when a pending trade to Buffalo is processed Tuesday, the Eagles will likely look to free agency or the draft to fill his sizable void.

The Eagles have three running backs under contract for 2015: Darren Sproles, Kenjon Barner, and Matthew Tucker. Chris Polk, who is a restricted free agent, will be tendered at the lowest rate, according to a source. He's expected to return to Philadelphia.

There is no successor waiting on the depth chart, and this is a deep free-agent class if the Eagles want to invest in the position. Players are free to start talking with teams Saturday and sign contracts Tuesday.

The top free-agent running back is Dallas' DeMarco Murray, 27, who led the NFL with 1,845 yards last season. However, the prospect of paying Murray top dollar is likely unrealistic after the Eagles let go of McCoy in part because of a burdensome salary.

Two free-agent rushers to watch are Buffalo's C.J. Spiller and New Orleans' Mark Ingram. Both have been to Pro Bowls, but don't have the mileage of Murray.

Spiller, 27, is being replaced by McCoy in the Bills' backfield. A former first-round pick, Spiller rushed for 1,224 yards (at 6 yards per carry) in 2012, when he was a Pro Bowl player. He missed seven games last season because of injury and split carries through much of his Buffalo career, so his workload has been relatively moderate for a player of his ability. He averaged only 133.6 carries per season.

Spiller would be a less expensive alternative to McCoy, although he could be in demand elsewhere. He has averaged 5 yards per carry during his five-year career and he has the pass-catching ability that Chip Kelly likes in his running backs.

"I'm pretty sure that Chip has my agent's phone number so I'm pretty sure we might have to make a call over there," Spiller said on the NFL Network after learning of the McCoy trade.

Ingram, 25, is a Heisman Trophy winner who has not lived up to his college accolades with the Saints. He's coming off his best season after rushing for 964 yards and making the Pro Bowl. It might have been a sign of what's to come, but he averaged only 487 yards during the previous three seasons.

San Francisco's Frank Gore is one of the NFL's top rushers over the last decade, which is part of the problem - he will be 32 next season. The Eagles already have an older running back in Sproles. Baltimore's Justin Forsett replaced Ray Rice last season with 1,266 yards and has bloomed late in his career, but he turns 30 in October.

Other accomplished running backs who are hitting the market are San Diego's Ryan Mathews, Detroit's Reggie Bush, and the Jets' Chris Johnson.

However, the Eagles do not necessarily need to find a lead back. McCoy was a 300-carry workhorse under Kelly, but the Eagles can split the playing time among a committee. In Kelly's four years as Oregon's head coach, no running back totaled more than 47 percent of the carries. McCoy had more than 60 percent in the last two seasons.

A new running back could share the work with Sproles and Polk. Washington's Roy Helu and New England's Shane Vereen or Steven Ridley had success in part-time roles.

The most likely scenario might be the Eagles waiting for the spring, when the draft is deep with running backs who would be younger and less expensive than the players available next week.

"I would assume they would address it in the draft," said ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former Eagles executive. "I don't think free agency is the route that they go there at that position."

If that's the case, the Eagles might end up with another lead rusher drafted by the team. But for the first time in more than a decade, the Eagles do not yet have a known successor for an accomplished starting running back.

On the Roster

Player   Height   Weight   Age

Darren Sproles   5-6   190   31

Matthew Tucker   6-1   227   23

Kenjon Barner   5-9   185   25

Eagles' Free Agents

Chris Polk (restricted)   5-11   222   25

Top Free Agents

DeMarco Murray, Dallas    6-0   217   27

Mark Ingram, New Orleans   5-9   215   25

C.J. Spiller, Buffalo   5-11   200   27

Frank Gore, San Francisco   5-9   217   31

Ryan Mathews, San Diego   6-0   220   27

Justin Forsett, Baltimore   5-8   197   29

EndText

For 17 consecutive seasons, the Eagles' lead running backs have been Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, and LeSean McCoy. Each was drafted and developed by the Eagles.

Duce Staley

1998-2002

Brian Westbrook 2003-2008

LeSean McCoy

2009-2014

EndText