Philadelphia Eagles rumor mill: Foles to the 49ers? Le’Veon Bell in Philly?

Might the Philadelphia Eagles be one of seven potential landing spots for Le’Veon Bell? Could Philly seriously consider trading Nick Foles to the 49ers?

With so much attrition and so many injuries in a collision sport, it’s easy to understand why rumors fly when anyone goes down on any NFL roster. Here are two things you may hear about over the next few hours if you haven’t heard them already. The theory is the Philadelphia Eagles could trade Nick Foles to the San Francisco 49ers, and there may be some interest in bringing Le’Veon Bell into the nest.

Don’t dismiss any of this totally just yet. The 49ers have lost Jimmy Garoppolo for the season, and it appears the Pittsburgh Steelers are nowhere close to securing a long-term deal for Bell.

With injury concerns along the Eagles’ depth chart for running backs, Bell could fill the hole that’s been left thanks to injuries to both Darren Sproles and Jay Ajayi.

The former seems ready to hang the cleats up after the 2018 season. The latter will see his contract expire after the 2018 campaign, and there’s no guarantee that Philly will bring him back seeing as how they’ll need to save a dollar or two to secure deals for some other important names on the roster, Brandon Graham and Ronald Darby for instance (if either are, indeed, part of Philly’s long-term plans).

Here are a few thoughts from the experts over at ESPN’s NFL Live:

Video courtesy of ESPN’s official YouTube page

It’s actually pretty interesting, isn’t it?

Now, let’s move on to the Foles rumor.

49ers fans saw their worst fears become a reality when ‘Jimmy G’ went down with an injury on Sunday. That means he’ll watch the remainder of the 49ers’ 2018 campaign from the sideline. That’s a big reason why quite a few reliable sources think the Eagles may get a phone call.

Eliot Shorr-Parks is one of those reliable sources, and in a recent story, he had a lot to say on the subject. Here are some of the highlights:

"After Wentz looked like himself (for the most part) in the Eagles’ win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the Eagles have to be feeling even better about their quarterback position than they did heading into the weekend… Wentz’s performance could also make them more willing to make a deal involving Foles, something they have been hesitant to do prior to Wentz returning."

That’s not all. It gets a whole lot better:

"Head coach Kyle Shanahan is considered one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, and although Foles has his limitations, Shanahan would likely be confident enough to think he could win with Foles. Making a deal for Foles would not prevent the 49ers from remaining committed to Garoppolo, as Foles is a free agent at the end of the season. They could re-sign Foles if they wanted, or take advantage of the mutual option in the contract. Although Garoppolo will likely be ready for Week 1 of the 2019 season, Foles would be a valuable backup for the 49ers throughout the offseason and into the regular season."

You also have to take something else into consideration. The 49ers have a ton of money that they can spend. They’re $42 million under the cap.

That Bell trade isn’t something that isn’t out of the realm of possibility either. This is Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman we’re discussing. Don’t think his wheels aren’t turning over how he can get the deal done.