Getty Images LeSean McCoy rushing against the New England Patriots on MNF.
The Buffalo Bills continue to struggle after a hopeless loss to the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. As expected, the Bills fell below everybody within the AFC East with a record of 2-6. The situation is ugly, for sure. But the worst part about the Bills struggles, is the downfall of running back, LeSean McCoy.
McCoy is undoubtedly the best player on the Bills offense. Aside from the running back, though, there are no other weapons that put fear into defenses. Derek Anderson? Nathan Peterman? Kelvin Benjamin? Yeah, right. Any defense that’s playing the Bills prepare to shut down McCoy, and that’s it. That’s how you beat the Bills.
So far, the strategy has worked as of late, and McCoy couldn’t be more disappointed with the results. Through eight games, McCoy has 63 carries for 244 yards and zero touchdowns. He acknowledged his 2018 season as something “that has never happened to him before.” As his injury woes pile up, and he struggles to succeed within the Bills offense, many speculate that McCoy could be of value in the trade market, and it would definitely make sense.
Will the Bills Sell Shady?
Out of 31 other teams in the NFL, the only team that seems to have a legitimate interest in McCoy is his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Aside from that, there hasn’t been much chit-chat about him landing elsewhere. Two weeks ago, the reality of McCoy heading back to Philly seemed real. But over time, the talks and rumors surrounding that went stale.
Over the weekend, there were reports that the Bills wouldn’t trade McCoy. Apparently, they wouldn’t have an option if a team met their price, which was rumored to be expensive. But it seems like the Bills like what they saw from Josh Allen, and McCoy when Allen was still healthy.
As Allen is out for an extended period of time, and the Bills are clearly not primed for the playoffs, would a ringless, 30-year-old LeSean McCoy beg for his way out to play with a team that has a chance to make the postseason? Apparently, it’s not the first thing on his mind, but he doesn’t seem opposed to the idea.
McCoy Is Comfortable Where He’s At?
“This is my team,” he said. “They’ve done a lot to me. Loyalty to me. I’m happy here. But it doesn’t matter whether I was here or anywhere else, playing a season like this, you would be mad. I don’t think it’s a matter of where I’m at. It’s just what’s been taking place and how things are going offensively.”
NFL Media’s Kevin Patra reported that McCoy is unsatisfied with his own production. And reading in-between the lines, it doesn’t seem like McCoy is very concerned with the Bills record as a whole. It looks more like he’s concerned with his own stats as he is failing to meet expectations at this point in the season.
When asked his opinion on whether he would be traded or not, McCoy simply replied with “who knows?” He also went on to state that he could still play, and defenses know that, despite his disappointing production two months into the season.
So while it sounds like McCoy is fine with whatever the Bills do at this point, he sure seemed to want to get his point across that he could still play. Just in case, you know, anybody wants to trade for him. But don’t hold your breath, the price tag for an expensive 30-year-old’s contract is not exactly what you would call a bargain, that’s for sure.