Age and a massive decrease in production have fueled a lot discussion regarding LeSean McCoy this offseason. Specifically, whether or not the running back could be traded, cut or demoted. McCoy spoke to the media for the first time at Buffalo Bills training camp on Tuesday and worked to dispel all three of those options.
LeSean McCoy suggested he has been told he remains the starter.
“I’m the guy. I feel like that. That’s what I’ve been told,” he told collected reports on the last day of training camp. “There’s always talk about something. Whether it’s off the field, on the field. Whether it’s age, my salary, there’s always something. So I learned to use that as motivation.”
The Bills have added to that motivation this offseason. They drafted a running back in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft (Devin Singletary) and signed free agents Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon. McCoy said he welcomes the competition.
“That’s my everyday approach,” said McCoy. “We’re all a team and trying to help each other out to win games, compete against each other and make each other better. Me and Frank have been competing for years. We train in the offseason and we’re always trying to beat each other. I’m excited for the challenge.”
LeSean McCoy addressed trade rumors specifically, saying if they were true he would already be gone.
“Two teams were trying to get me so if I was gone, they would’ve gotten something for me,” he said without naming names. “It’s common sense.”
Not only does McCoy still believe he’s the starter, he indicated he felt he could reach 1,000 yards this season when asked. He is using all the doubt as motivation. We’ll see how it pans out in 2019.