LeSean McCoy: Eagles ‘panicked’ by signing DeMarco Murray

By Ethan Finkelstein | Mar 22, 2015

Mar 10, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy holds up his new jersey after a press conference at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports /

LeSean McCoy claims the Eagles “panicked” when they signed both DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews.

Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy is no longer pulling punches about his former team. When the Philadelphia Eagles traded him for 2013 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Kiko Alonso, he was surprised by the move. In fact, one could say he was visibly hurt by not having the chance to come back to the city of brotherly love.

McCoy claims the Eagles were originally looking to sign another back, preferably Frank Gore. When he came off the market, however, they “panicked” and scrambled to complete deals for free agents DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews.

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“I saw that they originally were trying to get Frank Gore, and he backed out. So then when they got DeMarco and they got Ryan Mathews, I thought it was like a panic move. With that media in Philadelphia, they can get tough on you. So I guess that was just the way to make it right. I don’t know. I can’t really answer it. They took two backs to replace one. I think DeMarco’s a hell of a back. I think he’ll do a good job there,” McCoy told the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen on Saturday.

While signing the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year in Murray, and a pretty reliable number two option in Mathews are great transactions (or at least have the potential to be), McCoy has a point here. The timing just seems too suspicious to dismiss it from being a purely reactive move.

That, however, is what you do in the NFL. Teams react, and they have to, occasionally almost instantly. There was no telling how much longer Murray was going to remain on the table, or even Mathews for that matter.

As for “Shady;” he will find himself a part of an upstart Bills team that is looking to build off of the momentum of a 2014 campaign that saw them finish 9-7. The franchise brings forth improvements on offense heading into next season, and if the league’s leading rusher over the past five years can keep up his production on the ground, there is little reason to doubt Buffalo will contend for the AFC playoffs.

H/T For The Win via USA Today

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