LeSean McCoy - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs Interested In LeSean McCoy

August 31st, 2019 at 5:01pm CST by Zachary Links

After being dumped by the Bills, LeSean McCoy could land with one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses. The Chiefs will “take a peek’’ at the running back, Brett Veach says (Twitter link via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com).

“We play a lot of common opponents and got to see him on tape and he’s still a talented player and does a lot of great things in the pass game,’’ Veach said. “I’m sure he’s a guy we’ll take a peek at and we kind of have a rapport with.’’

McCoy played the first four seasons of his NFL career for the Eagles and Andy Reid, so there’s familiarity on both ends. And, with rumblings about the Chiefs’ lack of complete confidence in Damien Williams, McCoy could offer valuable veteran support.

Bills Reach 53-Man Max

August 31st, 2019 at 4:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills dropped a host of players on Saturday to reach the 53-man limit, but they also carved out spots by other means. Fifth-round linebacker Vosean Joseph (shoulder) and running back Senorise Perry (quad) were placed on IR while undrafted linebacker Tyrell Dodson was placed on the Commissioner’s exempt list.

Here’s the full list of cut players in Buffalo:

DE Sam Acho
TE Nate Becker
WR Victor Bolden Jr.
TE Kyle Carter
S Kurt Coleman
WR Nick Easley
DE Jeff Holland
QB Tyree Jackson
OT Jarron Jones
LB Deon Lacey
CB Cam Lewis
CB Ryan Lewis
OL Eric Magnuson
WR Ray-Ray McCloud
RB LeSean McCoy
K Chase McLaughlin
CB Captain Munnerlyn
RB Marcus Murphy
DT Kyle Peko
WR Cam Phillips
CB Lafayette Pitts
OL Demetrius Rhaney
CB Denzel Rice
WR David Sills
TE Keith Towbridge
RB Christian Wade
S Abraham Wallace
DT L.T. Walton
WR Duke Williams
DE Eddie Yarbrough
DT Roderick Young

Reactions To Bills Cutting LeSean McCoy

August 31st, 2019 at 2:41pm CST by Zachary Links

On Saturday, the Bills released longtime starter LeSean McCoy. There have been rumblings about the running back’s job security for a while, but GM Brandon Beane says it wasn’t an easy call.

“This allows Devin more opportunities to show what he can do for the team,” said Beane. “We believe in LeSean and still believe he can play, but you can’t look at every decision in a vaccum. After the draft Devin was a guy we were excited about, but some guys transition faster and some guys transition slower. That’s one of the decisions. Who is ready in that running back group to contribute right away? And we just felt right now that Devin would be able to help us along with the other guys that we’re keeping.”

Here’s more on Buffalo and Shady:

The Texans, Chargers, Cowboys, Chiefs, and Raiders are teams to watch in the McCoy chase, Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter) opines. The Texans would make a ton of sense following Lamar Miller‘s injury, though they also have a capable back in Duke Johnson. The Chiefs, meanwhile, may or may not be all in with Damien Williams.
The Bills did not ask McCoy to take a pay cut before dropping him, Florio (on Twitter) hears.
Beane does not fault McCoy for his lack of production in 2018. “Last year, I don’t fault LeSean. Our offense didn’t get into a rhythm. You can put a lot of that on me,” Beane said.
Beane added that the team gauged the trade market on McCoy, but not until very late in the process. The GM also indicated that he was concerned about how McCoy would react to being used in an RB-by-committee backfield.

Bills Release RB LeSean McCoy

August 31st, 2019 at 8:39am CST by Ben Levine

A surprise cut out of Buffalo. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Bills have released veteran running back LeSean McCoy.

There had been rumblings of a potential divorce for several months. McCoy was entering the final year of his five-year, $40MM deal, and cutting the veteran would save the organization more than $6MM. While the organization had been touting McCoy as their 2019 starter throughout the offseason, some pundits wondered if the front office was simply trying to generate trade interest.

However, back in January, GM Brandon Beane made it clear that the running back was staying put.

“LeSean will come back in 2019 and we’ll go from there,” the GM said.

Despite their faith in McCoy, the organization still brought in a pair of inexpensive vets in Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon. Third-round rookie Devin Singletary has also emerged as an intriguing piece during the preseason. Considering the financial discrepancy between McCoy and the other three running backs, the team decided to move on from their four-year starter.

While McCoy was productive during his first three years in Buffalo, he struggled in 2018. The 31-year-old finished the campaign with a career-low 3.2 yards per carry, compiling 514 yards and three touchdowns on 161 carries. He also hauled in 34 receptions for 238 yards.

McCoy still offers serious burst and cutting ability, even at his advanced age, so there’s reason to believe that he can get back to his old form in 2019. Several teams will surely kick the tires on the veteran, so he shouldn’t be a free agent for long.

AFC East Rumors: Gronk, McCoy, Fins, Jets

July 21st, 2019 at 9:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

The AFC East’s teams will report to training camp this week. Here is the latest surrounding the Patriots and their perennial challengers:

The Rob Gronkowski comeback talk has escalated considerably, with Gronkowski doing the speculating and predicting how restless he will be when Patriots camp and games begin. It won’t be Gronk’s relationship with Bill Belichick that stands in the way, Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston notes. After 2017 featured tension between Gronkowski and Belichick, Curran adds that the two “greatly” improved their relationship last season. This came despite the Patriots at one point planning to trade Gronk to the Lions last year. This improved relationship could point to Belichick signing off on a Gronk mid- or late-season return. The Patriots’ shaky tight end depth chart would seemingly have the defending champions eager to have the 30-year-old back in uniform.
One of Gronkowski’s former sidekicks in New England, Dwayne Allen will not begin camp on time with his new team. The Dolphins placed the veteran tight end on their active/PUP list on Sunday. Cornerback Cordrea Tankersley and linebacker/special-teamer Mike Hull joined Allen in receiving this designation before Miami’s camp. Tankersley tore an ACL in November, so this additional delay was not unexpected. He started 11 games at corner as a rookie but played in only six, as a reserve, last season.
Might third-round rookie Devin Singletary‘s performance put a potential Hall of Famer on the outs in Buffalo? LeSean McCoy is entering the final season of a five-year, $40MM Bills contract, and his cap savings ($6MM-plus) would benefit the Bills more than releases of Frank Gore or T.J. Yeldon. This led an NFL scouting director to call the McCoy situation one to monitor, per Albert Breer of SI.com. On a limited Bills offense last season, McCoy averaged a career-low 36.7 yards per game. His 3.2 yards per carry were nearly a yard shy of his previous-worst figure. The idea of a McCoy trade has surfaced this offseason, too.
Despite Leonard Williams being one of Mike Maccagnan‘s highest-profile investments, the New York Post’s Brian Costello predicts, barring unrealistic contract demands, Williams will end up staying on a long-term deal. The defensive end’s positive off-field reputation and standing within the locker room supports the notion the new regime, in Costello’s view, regarding him as a cornerstone player going forward. Speculation in league circles emerged that Adam Gase wanted to move on from Williams, but nothing has developed on that front in weeks. Williams, 25, is set for a fifth-year option season at $14.2MM.

East Notes: Jets, Bills, Eagles, Dolphins

July 10th, 2019 at 8:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets inked former Broncos starter Trevor Siemian to a one-year, $2MM this offseason with the plan to use him as a backup to quarterback Sam Darnold. But as Connor Hughes of The Athletic writes, fellow signal-caller Davis Webb was more impressive during the spring. Webb, a Giants 2017 third-round pick that the Jets claimed off waivers last year, doesn’t have any NFL experience under his belt, while Siemian has started 24 pro games. Gang Green could potentially release Siemian, but they’d be saddled with $1MM in dead money. An alternative, per Hughes, could involve trading Webb for a mid-round pick, although it’s unclear if another club would sacrifice any real draft capital in exchange for an unproven quarterback.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

The Bills have added a number of running backs to complement LeSean McCoy, and the veteran was especially pleased about Buffalo’s signing of Frank Gore, per Nate Mendelson of BuffaloBills.com. “I actually was begging him to come,” McCoy said. “Two years ago we were trying to get Frank and coach (Sean McDermott) asked if I’d like to play with him and I said ‘yeah.’” Buffalo signed not only Gore, but fellow free agent T.J. Yeldon, and selected Florida Atlantic running back Devin Singletary in the third round. Still, the team has been adamant that McCoy remains the starter, although that’s only invited more speculation that he could be traded at some point before the regular season begins.
Derek Barnett missed the final 10 games of the 2018 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery, but the Eagles are still excited about the former first-round defensive end as he enters his third NFL season, according to Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com. “I’d say every time he’s on the field, he’s rewarding our investment in him,” general manager Howie Roseman said. “We have a lot of confidence in him as a player and he’s a huge part of our football team. He’s shown that this isn’t a guy that’s going into his third year and we haven’t seen what he’s done. We’ve seen what he’s done in big games. We saw what he was doing last year before he got hurt. We expect him to come in and be a huge part of our team.” Now entering his age-23 campaign, Barnett has posted 7.5 sacks and 49 pressures over two years in Philadelphia.
Undrafted receiver Preston Williams made a name for himself during the Dolphins‘ offseason program, writes Barry Jackson the Miami Herald. Williams was especially valuable in red zone drills, per Jackson, who also notes Williams is now working with longtime NFL pass-catcher Brandon Marshall (thanks to a connection through now-Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick). Williams, who posted 96 receptions for 1,345 and 14 touchdowns during his final year at Colorado State, is behind DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills, Albert Wilson, and others on the Dolphins’ receiver depth chart.

East Notes: Zeke, Giants, McCoy

July 5th, 2019 at 1:20pm CST by Rory Parks

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott managed to escape a suspension for a potentially troublesome incident in May, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that if Elliott should even come close to violating the league’s personal conduct policy again, the punishment will be severe. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave everyone in the league office this week off, so Florio believes the only reason for Goodell to summon Elliott to league headquarters on Tuesday was to sufficiently scare him into staying on the straight and narrow. Goodell has been less harsh with players who run afoul of league policies in recent history, but if Elliott should put another toe out of line in the future, the commissioner will likely hand out a lengthy ban, and his decision to not suspend Elliott this time will help to justify such a measure.

Now for more the league’s east divisions:

There do not seem to be any starting jobs up for grabs along the Giants‘ defensive line, even though the presumptive starters are young and mostly unproven. However, with that youth comes a great deal of potential, and one of the keys to Big Blue’s immediate prospects is the realization of that potential. Third-year player Dalvin Tomlinson, second-year talent B.J. Hill, and rookie Dexter Lawrence are expected to open the season atop the Giants’ D-line depth chart, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes, and the addition of Lawrence allows Tomlinson to slide into a traditional nose tackle spot, to which he is better-suited.
In a separate 2019 positional preview piece, Schwartz examines the Giants‘ tight end group, which is headed by Evan Engram. Engram had a disappointing start to 2018, his second professional season, but when Odell Beckham missed the final four games of the season, Engram excelled and finished with some positive momentum. Now that OBJ is in Cleveland, New York will need Engram to show more of the same in a crucial year for his development. The club’s second TE, Rhett Ellison, is a favorite of HC Pat Shurmur, while returnee Scott Simonson will have to hold off C.J. Conrad — a UDFA who impressed this spring — and former Syracuse QB Eric Dungey, another UDFA who is trying to make the club as a TE/gadget player.
Vic Carucci of BNBlitz.com says it’s possible that Bills GM Brandon Beane and LeSean McCoy have adamantly pushed the notion that McCoy will be the team’s starter in 2019 in order to generate some trade interest. After all, the club does have a large stable of RBs, and McCoy, a 2020 free agent, appears to be nearing the end of his career. But Carucci says he has heard nothing to indicate that Buffalo is seeking to trade McCoy.
In the same piece, Carucci says he believes Levi Wallace will start for the Bills at cornerback opposite TreDavious White.
In case you missed it, we heard this morning that Cowboys edge rusher Randy Gregory will be applying for reinstatement shortly.
Also from this morning: the Giants may deploy safety Jabrill Peppers as their primary punt returner.

Extra Points: Foles, QB Summit, Running Backs

February 9th, 2019 at 8:53am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

If the Eagles franchise tag Nick Foles and attempt to trade him, as is expected, they’ll be taking somewhat of a risk, writes former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry. “There is a school of thought that franchising Foles strictly for trade purposes violates the CBA. Language requiring a good-faith intention to negotiate with a tendered player or keep him for the upcoming season at his tender exists in the CBA”, Corry points out, although he notes it’s unlikely to be enforced.

The real issue is the cap ramifications of tagging and trading Foles, Corry writes. “With Philadelphia’s current contractual obligations, a Foles franchise tag would put the Eagles roughly $20 million over the projected salary cap. Several contracts would need to be restructured and/or players released just to be able to carry Foles’ cap number for as long as he remained with the Eagles even if he was dealt as soon as the 2019 league year started”, he observes. It’s an interesting point, and if the Eagles can’t agree in principle with another team on a good deal for Foles before the franchise tag period is over, they may not end up tagging him after all.

Here’s more from around the league:

The league is hosting a “QB Summit” to help promote minority coaching candidates, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. According to La Canfora, “the conference will bring together young minority coaches on the offensive side of the ball (quarterbacks coaches, quality control coaches, interns) with established head coaches of all backgrounds in an attempt to facilitate more integration into NFL staffs.” La Canfora writes that “with so many owners seeking a ‘quarterback guru’ and offensive play-callers as head coaches in recent years, and so few African American and Latino coaches currently in those positions in the NFL, the league hopes this ongoing event will foster more integration in the offensive coaching ranks.”
With free agency right around the corner, Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com broke down the running backs most likely to be cut this offseason. Carlos Hyde, who has a salary of $4.7MM for the Jaguars while only playing a bit role the second half of the season, is on top of the list. One somewhat surprising name he floats is LeSean McCoy by the Bills, writing that “it’s probably best for both sides to move on.” The team has said in the past that they plan to keep McCoy for 2019, but if they go all in on a youth movement, it wouldn’t be shocking if McCoy wanted out so he could go to a contender in the twilight of his career.
In case you missed it, the Ravens believe the presence of Lamar Jackson will help attract free agents this spring.

Bills Plan To Keep RB LeSean McCoy

January 1st, 2019 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

Changes are coming in Buffalo, but LeSean McCoy is still a part of the team’s plans in 2019. This week, Bills GM Brandon Beane told reporters that Shady is staying put.

“LeSean will come back in 2019 and we’ll go from there,” the GM said.

Beane also indicated in November that McCoy would be retained. The team’s belief in him, in some respects, is surprising. McCoy will turn 31 in July and he’s coming off of a season in which he averaged a career low 3.2 yards per carry and was hit with ugly accusations. The Bills, in theory, could dump McCoy to save $6.425MM against the cap with just $2.625MM left in dead money, but that move is apparently not in consideration.

For what it’s worth, McCoy also says that he’s happy in Western New York. Recently, McCoy said that while “a lot of teams” wanted to trade for him at this year’s deadline, he wants to stay put and be a part of the team’s future.

McCoy still offers serious burst and cutting ability, even at his advanced age, so there’s reason to believe that he can get back to his old form in 2019. The veteran would also benefit from a beefing up of the offensive line.

East Notes: Bills, Barkley, McCoy, Giants, Dolphins, Herbert

November 10th, 2018 at 5:44pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s been a crazy season for the Bills. While the defense has been promising, the offense has been an absolute train-wreck. They’ve cycled through quarterbacks, and will now get their fourth new starting signal caller of the season this Sunday. Recently signed Matt Barkley will get the start for Buffalo over Nathan Peterman, according to a release from the team (Twitter link).

There was some hope that rookie Josh Allen would be able to return this week, but the Bills ruled him out with his elbow injury. Derek Anderson has still been unable to clear the concussion protocol, so he won’t be able to play either. That left Barkley, who was only signed ten days ago, and Peterman as the only healthy options. It’s been reported before that coach Sean McDermott risked losing the locker room if he started Peterman again, so it makes sense why the team is turning to Barkley here. Barkley hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since 2016, when he started a few games with Chicago down the stretch. In those starts Barkley was up and down, looking awful at times and competent at others.

Here’s more from the league’s Eastern divisions:

Top brass from both the Giants and Dolphins are at the Oregon-Utah game today to scout quarterback Justin Herbert, according to Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link). Eli Manning and Ryan Tannehill both have uncertain futures with their respective teams, so it makes sense why they’d be taking a look. Herbert is widely considered the best quarterback prospect who’s draft eligible, but is reportedly considered unlikely to enter the draft after this year.
The Bills’ season might be circling the drain, but star running back LeSean McCoy insists he is happy in Buffalo, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link). McCoy said that while “a lot of teams” wanted to trade for him at this year’s deadline, he is in the Bills’ longterm plans and is happy where he is. McCoy is getting up there in age, but still has his same burst and trademarked cutting ability. He’s hardly responsible for the Bills’ offensive woes, as opposing defenses completely sellout to stop the run.
In case you missed it, former Jets draft bust Christian Hackenberg signed with the upstart football league the AAF yesterday.