By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The headlines in Week 6 of the 2018 season for the Buffalo Bills have surrounded their star running back, LeSean McCoy, but in regard to some new rumors.
According to a report earlier this week, the Philadelphia Eagles reached out to the Buffalo Bills in regard to trading for McCoy. In March 2015, the Eagles traded McCoy to the Bills and the latest report is the second time in the past year that the Eagles have been reportedly interested in acquiring McCoy once again.
The Bills and McCoy addressed the rumor this week and both parties didn’t come out and confirm the reports, as expected, but neither side did much to silence them.
With the Oct. 30 trade deadline slowly approaching, could McCoy actually be on the trade block? Depending on the way things go over the next weeks, the 30-year-old could be and the Eagles aren’t the only team that could use him.
With that, here are five teams that could have a spot for McCoy:
Philadelphia Eagles
Starting with the obvious, the Eagles would be a fit. In their Week 5 matchup, Philadelphia lost their No. 1 back, Jay Ajayi, to a torn ACL. His season is over. The prior mentioned first rumor on McCoy also involves Ajayi. Last season, the Eagles traded for him mid-season, but following their Super Bowl win, the Eagles reportedly wanted McCoy first.
Without Ajayi, the Eagles offense showed promise, topping the New York Giants to start Week 6 on Thursday Night Football, 34-13. The Eagles are now 3-3 on the season, but McCoy could put their offense over the top. While the Eagles did win a title without McCoy in 2017, but Philly could want to capitalize on their current window of opportunity with their roster and make a run at another title this year.
According to The Fanatic in Philadelphia, Buffalo is seeking a second and third round pick for McCoy. In 2019, the Eagles have 11 total picks, including two second-round picks.
Green Bay Packers
With or without McCoy in the fold, the Packers will lean on the arm of Aaron Rodgers. However, during Rodgers’ tenure he’s never had a running back with the skill set McCoy has. That would be quite the one-two punch for an offense.
Currently the Pack have Jamaal Williams, Ty Montgomery and Aaron Jones in their backfield. Replacing that committee approach and placing McCoy behind the fourth-best offensive line the NFL, per Pro Football Focus recently, (or the Eagles’ No. 2 ranked) would be an attractive idea.
However, the Packers would have to tinker around with their salary cap as McCoy has a hit near $9 million and the Packers only have $3.3 million in cap space. The Packers currently have nine draft picks in 2019, including two first-round picks. It’s doubtful McCoy would fetch Buffalo a first-round pick, though.
Indianapolis Colts
Like the Packers, the Colts will lean on their quarterback with or without McCoy in Andrew Luck. However, unlike Rodgers, Luck simply doesn’t have many playmakers around him. McCoy would immediately be the next-best player on the Colts’ offense which has struggled for years to find a strong running back option. Currently Indy has a backfield with Marlon Mack, Jordan Wilkins, Nyhein Hines, and Robert Turbin.
The Colts have the second-most cap space in the NFL with $52 million and could swing their extra second-round pick to the Bills for McCoy. The problem is, the Colts are currently 1-4. With the trade deadline approaching, Indy does have some winnable games against the Raiders, Jets and Bills, so in order for this trade to make sense, the Colts need to turn things around.
Houston Texans
Maybe the Texans will get a first-hand look at a guy they could trade for during their Week 6 meeting with the Bills on Sunday?
Houston currently has a backfield with Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue. Miller’s career-best yards-per-carry with the Texans is 4.0. McCoy’s career-worst is 4.0. Blue has mostly featured as a second-stringer for Houston in his career. With an offense that features QB Deshaun Watson throwing to DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller and one that has the backing of a defense with JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney, Shady would kick things up a notch for the Texans as a potential Super Bowl contender. With $20 million in cap space and an extra second-round pick in 2019, it’s not out of the question. Brain Gaine, Houston’s GM, was also employed by the Bills a year ago.
However, the true position of need for Houston isn’t at running back, Miller & Co. have struggled due to a brutal offensive line which PFF ranks as the second-worst in the NFL.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Jameis Winston re-joining the lineup, McCoy would provide another weapon for opponents to worry about. Winston has Mike Evans and Desean Jackson on the outside, however, the Bucs’ run game leaves a lot to be desired. Peyton Barber probably isn’t the one to put the blame on, it’s a brutal offensive line in regard to run blocking for Tampa.
PFF labeled the unit as their No. 28 grouping. But adding McCoy’s elusiveness could help the O-line improve and adding McCoy to the best passing attack in the NFL (363.2 yards per game), would be an attractive option. However, the Bucs might not have the ammo to grab McCoy, they only have the usual seven draft picks and just $5 million in cap space. If McCoy could play defensive back, that’d also be big for the Bucs. But he doesn’t.