11:03 am | September 2, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid said it didn’t take long for the Kansas City Chiefs to make the decision to sign running back LeSean McCoy once he became a free agent over the weekend.
Reid and general manager Brett Veach watched some recent videotape of McCoy’s play and that was enough.
“There are not a lot of 31-year-old running backs running around out there,” Reid said. “But he still has the great feet and the vision.”
McCoy had the least productive season of his 10-year NFL career in 2018 for the Bills, rushing for 514 yards and scoring three touchdowns. But in Kansas City he will be reunited with Reid. McCoy started his career with the Eagles, where he played four successful seasons for Reid.
Damien Williams will start at running back for the Chiefs on Sunday, when they begin the regular season against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
“He knows what to expect,” Reid said of McCoy. “I’ve been very honest with him about Damien and how good of a football player he is. I think it’s a great situation for both of them and for the team. For where he’s at in his career, you’re talking about potentially a future Hall of Famer with the numbers and stats he’s put together here. Here he has an opportunity to come to what potentially is a good football team as we go forward and be a part of that.”
Reid said the Chiefs plan to have McCoy available against the Jaguars.
“We’ll see what he can pick up in a short period of time here, how comfortable he is with it, and then we’ll go from there,” Reid said. “He’s a pretty sharp kid so I think we’ll be OK. He’s been practicing and playing in these preseason games so the conditioning part is not an issue. It’s just becoming familiar with the protections and the run game part.
“This is different than what we did in Philadelphia. There will be some familiar things but it’s quite a bit different. He’s going to have to get in and learn (the offense) and then we’ll just see how that goes. They both have an opportunity to play. I’m not going to put him out there in a bad situation without knowing the plays. I would never do that.”
Williams was set to be the Chiefs’ main featured back until the McCoy signing. Now the Chiefs plan to go with more of a committee that includes rookie Darwin Thompson.
“I’ve done this before where I’ve done it by committee. Most of my time in Philadelphia that’s what I did,” Reid said. “They all had success and it worked out pretty well for them. We have the ability to play everybody if we go that route.”
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