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Tiki and Tierney: Rob Gronkowski meeting with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay
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Free agent running back LeSean McCoy said earlier this offseason that he wants to continue his career with a “winning franchise,” and is now signing with a team that hopes to be a legitimate contender in 2020. On Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that McCoy he had reached a one-year agreement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bruce Arians has made some of the most eye-catching signings this offseason, and now has Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and McCoy on offense.
“He is very excited to play with established veterans like Brady and Gronk as he tries to win another championship,” said his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
The 31-year-old last played for the Kansas City Chiefs, but is not ready to hang up his loot just yet. “Shady” had 101 career low carries for 465 yards last season and was not a major player in the Chiefs’ offense. McCoy averaged 4.6 yards per carry in 2019, but finished with just 32 carries for 103 yards (3.2 yards per carry) after Week 8 and played just one snap in the postseason when the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV.
McCoy spent his first six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the Eagles’ greatest running back of all time, having logged 6,792 yards and 44 touchdowns in 90 games. Over the course of his career, McCoy has run for 11,071 yards and 73 touchdowns, and is currently No. 22 on the NFL’s all-time list. Plus, he’s only 929 yards out of 12,000 for his career, and every runner who has reached that mark and is eligible is in the Professional Soccer Hall of Fame.
McCoy joins the field with Ronald Jones, Dare Ogunbowale and rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who was captured by the Bucs in the third round of the Vanderbilt NFL Draft 2020. Jones is by far the most positive, but he fought with consistency and pass protection in 2019. Jones only won 18 more carries than Peyton Barber and saw six fewer goals than Ogunbowale. Senior fantasy writer Heath Cummings provided his updated projections for the Buccaneers field, which include McCoy emerging as the No. 2 clear choice on the field.
Brady succeeded with the New England Patriots in a system promoting many talented running backs, and McCoy will surely find a role in this renewed offensive attack.
