Kevin Hoffman – USA TODAY Sports
The biggest move that the Buffalo Bills made during the offseason was trading for LeSean McCoy. When the team moved star young linebacker Kiko Alonso in order to get McCoy, it was clear that McCoy was going to be prominently featured in the Bills’ offensive plan. Because of Rex Ryan’s “ground and pound” mentality, McCoy will probably be given the opportunity to carry the team’s offense. That won’t be a bad thing.
McCoy has shown his durability over the last two seasons, playing in all 32 games during that time. In those two seasons, McCoy carried the ball 314 and 312 times, respectively, while rushing for a combined 2,926 yards. McCoy’s numbers have been great despite having massive workloads, and there is no reason to think that he couldn’t handle another 300-plus carry season.
This offseason, McCoy has looked good at OTAs, which is not a surprise. He did deal with a minor neck injury that sidelined him for a little while, but he was probably just being held out as a precaution. He did return to participate in 11-on-11 drills and he looked solid. McCoy has had some off-the-field distractions as well, mostly related to comments he made about Chip Kelly being racist, but those won’t be a problem by the start of the regular season.
Because of the Bills’ major weakness at the quarterback position, it will be increasingly important for the Bills to create a solid offensive line for McCoy to run behind. The team focused on upgrading the offensive line this offseason, and they added two upgrades at the guard positions in rookie John Miller and famous bully Richie Incognito. They should greatly improve the interior of the offensive line. Meanwhile, the Bills may have an in-house upgrade at right tackle if Cyrus Kouandjio can stay healthy. Kouandjio should beat out Seantrel Henderson for the position and he’ll be able to create better running lanes for McCoy.
So how important is McCoy going to be to the Bills’ season? I would argue that the team’s success hinges on his performance. If McCoy can be a featured back for the Bills like he was for the Philadelphia Eagles, then he could help lead the Bills to the playoffs. If he ends up having a down year, then the Bills’ offense will suffer. Regardless of what happens, McCoy will be the top running back on the Bills team and he should be productive in Rex Ryan’s offense.
Jacob Camenker is a Buffalo Bills Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. You can “like” him on Facebook here, follow him on Twitter @jacobyhorse, or add him to your network on Google.
