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LeSean McCoy Trade: Does He Make the Bills Contenders?

By Evan Massey

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Are the Buffalo Bills legitimate playoff contenders in the AFC following the trade to acquire star running back LeSean McCoy from the Philadelphia Eagles?

Rex Ryan was hired by the Buffalo Bills this past offseason to be their new head coach after Doug Marrone decided that it was time to move on due to disagreements with management. It was the type of move that brought excitement to the Bills’ franchise, and he is the type of coach that can help take the team over the hump and back into the playoffs.

Buffalo hasn’t wasted time making moves to help Ryan with his goal to get the Bills back into the playoffs. They went out and traded talented young linebacker Kiko Alonso to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for star running back LeSean McCoy. That is the type of deal that will help propel the Bills into contention in the AFC.

Are the Bills legitimate playoff contenders now that they have acquired a star running back to help the offense?

One big issue that the Bills still have is finding a quarterback who is capable of starting and managing the game enough to pull out wins. E.J. Manuel has shown flashes of being a starting quarterback, but he hasn’t been consistent to say the very least. Ryan would like to bring in Mark Sanchez as his starter, and that would be a big move in the right direction as well.

McCoy is exactly the type of player that can help make a quarterback better. Whether he simply takes pressure off of the quarterback by being a workhorse on the ground or actually catches passes out of the backfield, he is more than capable of doing both of those things. Last season with the Eagles, McCoy ended up rushing for 1,319 yards and five touchdowns on 312 carries.

Perhaps the most underrated part of McCoy‘s game is his ability to be a receiver out of the backfield. He ended up catching just 28 passes for 155 yards last year, but caught 52 passes for 539 yards and two touchdowns in 2013.

Whether the Bills bring in a better starting quarterback or not, McCoy is going to help the Bills out in a big way. He is going to receive quite a few carries per game, and he will be used in the way that makes him most effective. Buffalo doesn’t have the best offensive line, but it is solid and will give McCoy good chances to make some big plays.

At 26 years old, McCoy still has quite a bit of top-notch football left in him. He is going to want a long-term deal with Buffalo, and he is going to get it. Buffalo is not just thinking about this season, they are thinking about the big picture for the future.

So, can the Bills contend for a playoff spot in 2015 with the current roster that they have? Absolutely. Their defense is among the best in the NFL and the addition of McCoy will improve their offense by itself.

Ranking third in the league against the run and 11th against the pass shows just how dominant the Bills’ defense was last season. Losing Alonso seems like a big loss for the Bills, but he didn’t even play last season due to a torn ACL. They aren’t upset about parting ways with him after the success that they still had, and adding McCoy for them seems like a steal.

There is absolutely no question that the Bills are now playoff contenders following their acquisition of McCoy. Manuel is capable of starting and managing a game with a talent like McCoy beside him. Ryan would obviously like to upgrade the quarterback position, but it definitely isn’t a necessity.

Assuming the Bills defense continues playing to their potential, there aren’t many teams that can outscore them. McCoy is going to see a huge role and he will come through now that he has a chip on his shoulder from being traded. The Bills made a great deal by bringing him on board, and it is going to be very interesting to see how he performs for them in 2015.

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