LeSean McCoy didn’t stay on the free agency heap for long, and the former All-Pro running back could be playing a significant role in his new home with the Kansas City Chiefs after being cut by the Buffalo Bills.
McCoy was one of the most surprising cuts on Saturday, as teams rounded out their final cuts to get rosters down to 53. He was the No. 1 running back for the Buffalo Bills during his tenure there, though his production dropped last season as the team struggled with rookie quarterback Josh Allen at the helm.
As ESPN noted, McCoy will now be reunited with coach Andy Reid, who was with the Philadelphia Eagles for the first four years of McCoy’s career there. That was one of the most productive stretches for McCoy, who rushed for 3,866 yards between 2009 and 2012.
There had been some questions in Buffalo about what role the 31-year-old would play in the offense after rushing for a career-low 514 yards last year. McCoy was also in the last year of his five-year contract after the Bills landed him in a trade with the Eagles. But McCoy joins a Chiefs team with a much more balanced and explosive offense than he had with the Bills.
The Chiefs hinted shortly after he was cut that they may be taking a look at him, the team’s official website noted.
“We play a lot of common opponents and got to see him on tape, he is still a talented player and does a lot of great things in the passing game,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said on Saturday afternoon, hours after the Bills had released him. “If it is official, like it has been reported, I am sure that he is a guy that we will take a peek at. We kind of have a rapport with (him).”
And just like that, Shady has a new home.
RB LeSean McCoy ( @CutonDime25 ) is headed to the @Chiefs on a 1-year deal worth $3 million. (via @RapSheet ) pic.twitter.com/SELmPBQCvk
— NFL (@NFL) September 1, 2019
Though McCoy joins a Chiefs team with a deep backfield, there will likely be plenty of chances for him, as Reid said earlier in the preseason that he planned to platoon the backs.
“I did a little bit of that when I was in Philadelphia, a kind of running back-by-committee deal and we had some success with it,” Reid said during an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, via Arrowhead Pride . “We’ll do that here (in Kansas City).”
It’s not clear if LeSean McCoy would be up to speed immediately for the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.