LeSean McCoy

Bills Release Shady; Would Return to Eagles Make Sense?

The leading rusher in Eagles history is suddenly a free agent.

The Bills released all-time Eagles leading rusher LeSean McCoy on Saturday.

Would the Eagles be interested in bringing back McCoy? More on that in a second.

The move is hardly a shock considering McCoy's production last year and the Bills' depth at running back.

McCoy, who rushed for a franchise-record 6,792 yards from 2009 through 2014 before getting traded to the Bills by Chip Kelly, is coming off the worst season of his career.

As a vested veteran, McCoy immediately becomes an unrestricted free agent when his release is official and is not subject to the NFL's waiver claim process.

McCoy's streak of five straight Pro Bowl seasons ended last year when he averaged just 3.2 yards per carry and ran for just 514 yards and three touchdowns.

McCoy is 31 and going into his 11th season. But he's only one year removed from a season in which he ran for 1,138 yards, caught 59 passes for another 448 yards and ranked fourth in the NFL in yards of scrimmage with 1,586, behind only Todd Gurley, Le'Veon Bell and Kareem Hunt.

He needs 25 catches to become the seventh player in NFL history with 10,000 rushing yards and 500 receptions.

But that 3.2 average last year was second-worst in the NFL among backs with at least 100 carries, ahead of only another former Eagle, LeGarrette Blount of the Lions, who averaged 2.7.

McCoy is a six-time Pro Bowler overall and ranks 25th in NFL history with 10,606 rushing yards.

He's one of 12 running backs in NFL history to begin his career with 10 straight seasons with at least 750 yards from scrimmage, and all but one of the others (Warrick Dunn) are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

McCoy only had 10 carries in the Bills' preseason games and averaged 4.3 yards per carry with a touchdown.

Why did the Bills find McCoy expendable?

They have another veteran running back in future Hall of Famer Frank Gore, who is fourth in NFL history in rushing yards, along with rookie third-round pick Devin Singletary, who ran for over 4,000 yards with 66 TDs in three seasons at Florida Atlantic, and also T.J. Yeldon, who ran for just under 2,000 yards the last four years with the Jaguars.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott and McCoy were together in 2009 and 2010 under Andy Reid in Philadelphia.

Would the Eagles have any interest in bringing back McCoy in the same way they brought back DeSean Jackson and Nick Foles, two other Chip Kelly castoffs?

Probably not at this point.

With his resume, McCoy will get a job quickly - the Texans, Chiefs and yes the Cowboys would make sense - but it's hard to imagine it being back in Philadelphia.

The Eagles spent a good chunk of the offseason upgrading the running back position, and McCoy isn't likely to sign anywhere where he would be deep on the depth chart.

The Eagles are loaded at running back with rookie second-round pick Miles Sanders, offseason acquisition Jordan Howard - who ran for 3,370 yards and 24 TDs the last three years with the Bears - along with Super Bowl hero Corey Clement and ageless Darren Sproles.

With final cuts coming up later Saturday, the Eagles also have 2018 Eagles rushing leader Josh Adams, former fourth-round pick Donnel Pumphrey and veteran Wendell Smallwood on the roster.

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