Top 100 NFL Running Backs - #44: LeSean McCoy

LeSean McCoy

Teams

Philadelphia Eagles (2009-2014)

Buffalo Bills (2015-2018)

Kansas City Chiefs (2019)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020)

Playoffs

Appearances - 6 (2009,2010,2013,2017,2019,2020)

Conf Champ Games - 2 (2019,2020)

Super Bowls - 2 (2019,2020)

Championships - 2 (2019,2020)

Awards and Honors

All-Pro First Team - 2 (2011,2013)

Pro Bowl - 6 (2011,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017)

All-Time Ranks

Rushing Yards - #22

Scrimmage Yards - #26

Rushing Touchdowns - #30

Total Touchdowns - #42

Yards per Rush - #49

Rushing Yards per Game - #63

League Leads

Rushing Yards (#1-2013, #3-2014, #4-2011,2017, #6-2016)

Rushing Touchdowns (#1-2011, #4-2016, #6-2013)

Yards per Rush (#3-2016, #4-2010, #5-2013)

Rushing Yards per Game (#1-2013, #4-2011,2014, #5-2015,2016, #6-2017)

Total Touchdowns (#1-2011, #4-2016)

Scrimmage Yards (#1-2013, #4-2010,2017, #5-2011,2016)

Yards per Touch (#9-2010, #10-2013)

After his sophomore year at Pittsburgh, which he finished with 1488 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, LeSean McCoy left school two years early and entered the 2009 NFL Draft, where he was picked in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles.

McCoy backed up Brian Westbrook as a rookie, but got a few starts when Westbrook missed games, and he was solid in those appearances. When Westbrook was released after the season, McCoy took over the starting job heading into his second season.

His first season as a starter was very good. He rushed for 1080 yards on 5.2 yards per carry and scored 7 touchdowns, and he followed it up in 2011 with 1309 yards and 17 touchdowns, which was the best in the league that year. That performance earned him his first appearance on the All-Pro First Team, which he repeated a couple of years later.

After struggling through the 2012 season, he exploded in 2013, leading the league with 314 carries and 1607 yards, along with 2146 scrimmage yards, also best in the league. He finished #2 to Peyton Manning and his 55 passing touchdowns in the Offensive Player of the Year race, but made the All-Pro First Team for the second time.

In 2014, he managed to gain another 1319 yards, but he did it on essentially the same number of carries as the previous year, almost an entire yard per carry less. He lost some work that year to Darren Sproles, which may have been a factor in his regression, but he did pass Wilbert Montgomery to become the Eagles all-time rushing leader.

McCoy was traded to Buffalo before the 2015 season, and he made the Pro Bowl that year, despite finishing with only 895 yards on the season. He had one of his best seasons in 2016, with 1267 yards and 13 touchdowns, with a career-best 5.4 yards per carry.

He played 2 more seasons with Buffalo, but gained only 514 rushing yards in 2018, leading to his release before the 2019 season. Up to that point, he hadn't won a single playoff game in 4 appearances, so he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs for that year. He rushed for 465 yards in the regular season, but only played one snap in the playoffs as the Chiefs won the Super Bowl.

He signed with Tampa Bay for the 2020 season, and had an extremely limited role, rushing for only 31 yards on the season. He was once again on the roster of the Super Bowl champion, but for the second year in a row, he didn't play in the title game, but got a ring anyway. He signed with the Eagles to retire with his original team before the 2021 season.

McCoy is #22 on the all-time rushing list, and finished his career with over 11000 rushing yards and exactly 15000 scrimmage yards. He had one superstar season with the Eagles, and several other star-level seasons during his career, and was able to finish with a couple of championships, even if he played a very small role in them. He is undoubtedly one of the best to ever play the game.