The Philadelphia Eagles kept their undefeated record intact in Week 8, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers with ease, 35-13. They showcased just how dominant of a team they are as they prepare to take on the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 9.
The Eagles will likely expand the role of their newest addition, pass rusher Robert Quinn, in that game. Quinn played only 26 percent of the team’s defensive snaps against the Steelers, getting on the field for 20 total plays.
While Quinn was the only addition that the Eagles ended up making, it wasn’t from a lack of trying. Philadelphia was active on the trade market leading up to the deadline, but they were unable to get a deal done. The position that they were targeting? Running back.
According to an NFL executive that spoke to NFL Analysis Network, the Eagles worked right up until the clock struck zero to get a deal done for some help in the backfield. Nyheim Hines, who was with the Indianapolis Colts but ended up being traded to the Buffalo Bills, was who the Eagles had set their sights on.
“There were a ton of rumors surrounding the Eagles as the trade deadline came and went. One that was very real was the team’s attempt to acquire Nyheim Hines from the Colts. Nick Sirianni wanted his former running back from Indy, but Philly couldn’t get a deal done.”
Hines would have provided a boost to Philadelphia’s backfield as a pass-catching back, something they were on the lookout for. Through four seasons and seven games in 2022, Hines has caught 235 passes for 1,725 yards and seven touchdowns. He has caught at least 40 passes in each of his four seasons in the NFL thus far.
He wasn’t the only running back that the Eagles showed interest in. Before he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers by the Carolina Panthers, the Eagles were in on Christian McCaffrey as well. Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints was another running back that Philadelphia checked in on, but the asking price for him was very high as the Saints wanted their 2023 first-round pick back in any deal that included their star running back.
