Ronnie Brown Trade Gives Lions an Interior Running Back

What can Ronnie Brown do for you? For the Eagles thus far, the answer has been, “Very little.” In return, the self-dubbed dream team has decided to make his stay very short. The Eagles running back was traded Tuesday to the Detroit Lions in exchange for RB Jerome Harrison and a 2013 seventh-round pick.

This trade comes on a day where it seems like players are landing in better digs for poor performance. The Carson Palmer trade, also announced Tuesday, netted the Bengals two high draft picks for a player whose numbers steadily declined over his last few years. Now, the malcontent quarterback gets to play in his home state for a resurgent Raiders team that’s doing everything humanly possible to make the playoffs. While Cincinnati has surprised everyone with their record this year, Palmer had no future with the team.

Same can be said for Ronnie Brown, who has done very little for the Eagles. In six games, he has gained a total of 38 yards on 13 carries. No play was more ridiculed than his Wildcat-gone-wild play against the 49ers. Brown’s being traded might be thanks, in large part, to his inexplicable decision to throw the ball while being tackled at the goal line against San Francisco.

So why would the Lions and Eagles swap running backs? Aside from Philly possibly being disappointed with Brown’s play, the former second overall pick may offer Detroit something they didn’t have: an inside back. Jerome Harrison, Maurice Morris, and Jahvid Best are similar in that they are smaller backs who can catch passes out of the backfield. Brown is more of an inside runner than all of them, and can offer something new for the Lions.

UPDATE: The trade did not go through after Jerome Harrison failed his physical. Ronnie Brown is still with the Eagles, Harrison is still with the Lions.