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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to add help for Tom Brady.
On Thursday, the team reportedly signed veteran running back LeSean McCoy for a one-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“He’s very excited to be playing with established veterans like Brady and Gronk to try and win another championship,” said agent Drew Rosenhaus.
The Buffalo Bills released McCoy last August, which saved them $ 6.425 million, according to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs shortly thereafter.
Kansas City had called in Carlos Hyde to help fill the void left by Kareem Hunt but quickly spoiled him. The chefs unloaded him in a trade to the Houston Texans, who paved the way for McCoy’s arrival.
McCoy didn’t release any flashy numbers as he parted ways with Damien Williams, but he was productive in his limited role. He ran for 465 yards and four touchdowns on 101 carries and caught 28 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown.
Of the 45 carriers with at least 100 carries, McCoy was 28th in DYAR (yards adjusted by defense over substitution), per Football aliens.
Kansas City selected Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the 32nd pick overall, virtually eliminating any chance of a meeting with McCoy.
McCoy’s average yards per carry fell from 4.0 in 2017 to 3.2 in 2018 before the Bills moved on. He is also third among active players in total (2950), so he has plenty of miles on his body.
By managing his workload, the chefs have helped McCoy stay efficient. His 4.6 yards per carry was his second highest since 2013, his last All-Pro season.
This should be the Bucs model. He will compete with rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn to support Ronald Jones II, and Tampa Bay may be looking to expand his role in the passing game from his season at Kansas City.
Given Jones’ inconsistency in his young career, McCoy could play an important role for the Bucs.
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