The Buffalo Bills did not deal LeSean McCoy at the trade deadline and it appears as if he will be around as a focal point on offense in 2019.
The Buffalo Bills have eight games remaining, but a record of 2-6 means the postseason drought is likely starting over at one.
This meant that Brandon Beane could have taken the extreme route and sold off top players in favor of stockpiling more draft picks. Instead, he didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline, aside from bringing in free agents in Terrelle Pryor and Matt Barkley.
LeSean McCoy seemed likely to be traded. Yet here he remains. He is under contract through next season and Beane made it clear today that McCoy is in the 2019 plans. Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News published a rather lengthy interview with the Bills GM this morning.
Here is what Beane said about McCoy when asked about 2019:
"LeSean is still a very good player in this league. Our offense is not where we want it, but LeSean is still playing well. He’s a talented player. We like what he brings, to the point we’ll have him back in 2019. He’ll definitely be a part of that."
This was really the only logical answer to the question.
If Beane says McCoy isn’t in the 2019 plans, a locker room issue is started for no reason. So even if the plan is to trade McCoy in the offseason, there is zero need to state that now.
There is also the possibility that Beane has no intention of trading McCoy until next year’s trade deadline at the earliest. And that would only likely happen if the team gets off to another 2-6 start, or worse.
The fact the Bills are building around a rookie quarterback helps McCoy’s chances of remaining on the team as well. He can serve as the reliable veteran in the backfield to help guide Josh Allen with the offense. Without him back there, things may be even worse this year, even though his production hasn’t been there.
This story should go away for a few months now that the trade deadline has passed. But even with Beane’s words, there are some offers that can’t be passed up. We shall see if a team gets greedy this offseason.