After months of waiting to see if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would add some veteran depth to their young, unproven backfield, the team finally made a move when they signed 32 year-old LeSean McCoy to a one-year contract.

RB LeSean McCoy and Te Rob Gronkowski
– Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

McCoy, whose best days are clearly behind him after finishing the past two seasons under 550 yards rushing, is a clear upgrade over the Bucs current depth at the position, especially considering Ke’Shawn Vaughn’s current status on the Reserve/CO-VID 19 list. Add to that fact Vaughn’s steep learning curve as a rookie with no OTAs, mini-camp and an abbreviated training camp with no preseason action, and you’re likely to see plenty of McCoy early in the season.

One of the reasons McCoy figures to be an early impact player is that his skill set has always been a pretty versatile one. A strong route runner with pass-catching skills, open-field elusiveness and the ability to hold his own in pass protection, McCoy is an easy preseason add because it won’t take him long to get on the field, and that’s really what the Bucs need at running back right now.

That being said, McCoy clearly isn’t a dynamic, heavy workload back anymore, which is completely fine for his fit with the Bucs. The team already has Ronald Jones to spearhead the rushing attack, and will be heavily reliant on what they can accomplish through the air as an offense anyway.

That’s where McCoy’s skill set varies from the rest of the Bucs’ running backs. He’s a proven receiver out of the backfield who can still create after the catch. There is absolutely nothing boring about watching McCoy play football, regardless of his age. His creativity, which has always been one of his calling cards as a player, is still off the charts.

The best way to describe McCoy as a player is simply that he has unbelievable awareness for everything that’s happening around him. He knows where defenders are attacking from, where space is, and where his blockers could be of best use to him. McCoy’s ability to be constantly setting up the field for his next move is one of the biggest reasons why he’s been so successful in his career.

On this throwback screen, McCoy looks dead in the water, but he shows his trademark patience and vision to cut to space, making several defenders miss and picking up a few yards on a play that should be a loss.

Last year, McCoy’s average depth of target was one yard BEHIND the line of scrimmage, yet he still averaged almost eight yards after the catch. Granted, McCoy’s athleticism isn’t what it once was, and he no longer makes defenders miss one-on-one in space with the regularity he once did, but his vision and “feel” with the ball in his hands is still special.

Another play that should be dead behind the line of scrimmage, yet McCoy keeps it alive and turns a big loss into positive yardage. In a league where most valuable running back traits are shared by most backs, McCoy’s creativity and adventurous running style has always been what sets him apart.

Unfortunately, McCoy isn’t the same athlete he once was, both in short area acceleration or in lateral quickness. Despite this, McCoy is still tough to tackle in space because of the unpredictability of his movements.

I don’t think Thomas Davis was expecting to get hit with the spin move here, but McCoy pulls it off and sheds the veteran linebacker. These plays are the exception rather than the rule these days, at least across his 28 receptions a year ago, but it’s still nice to know the former Pro Bowler can pull off big-time moves like this.

Almost all of McCoy’s receptions last year were on screens, swing passes or arrow routes out of the backfield, but occasionally Kansas City used him in some vertical routes, including this Sail route against the Chargers. Good, crisp pattern from McCoy, who timed his break perfectly.

I won’t be surprised if Arians puts McCoy to use on the occasional vertical concept out of the backfield. But where McCoy will make most of his money is the same place James White did – out on the perimeter where he can make people miss and keep the Bucs in manageable down and distances.

I’ve said many times before that most running backs can be successful on the ground if the blocking and scheme are right, and I still think McCoy is capable of success as a pure rusher. Clearly he’s not going to be a bell cow, but for 5-10 carries a games, McCoy’s vision, timing and ability to manipulate second level defenders is still clear from his tape.

McCoy runs directly at the A-gap to pull the 2i technique playside, then knifes backside with that patented jump cut of his. It’s a great play to create a backside lane, but concerns still arise. McCoy doesn’t quite have the burst to make a splash play out of this anymore, and he also puts the ball on the turf, one of three times he fumbled the rock last season.

While McCoy’s feel for creating with the ball in his hands hasn’t gone away at all, he holds the football like a loaf of bread and is losing the athleticism that once allowed him to maximize an unpredictable rushing style. McCoy still has some traits that other running backs around the league wish they could possess in vision, awareness and instincts, but he’s no longer the big play machine he once was.

There’s also the curious way his lone year in Kansas City ended, with McCoy inactive for the AFC title game and the Super Bowl, after being a healthy scratch late in the regular season as well. Given the Chiefs’ scarce depth at the running back position, the absence of McCoy seemed to have more to do with the veteran back than the other players on the roster.

As far as pass protection goes, McCoy was never trusted to be Kansas City’s primary back in that regard, logging under 20 snaps in pass pro last season. He’s been asked to do less in pass pro each of the past few years of his career, but McCoy’s experience in that regard should put him ahead of his backfield mates in Tampa Bay. Still, pass protection remains a big question mark for the Bucs running back room heading into 2020.

RB LeSean McCoy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In essence, the Bucs are getting anything but a safe, ole’ reliable depth running back in LeSean McCoy. He’s still talented enough to make an immediate impact, especially in the passing game, while also filling in admirably as a part-time rusher. But he’ll also drive everyone crazy once in awhile, trying to constantly spin move his way out of trouble, holding the ball with one hand (often the wrong hand) in the open field and rarely performing at a high level in pass protection.

Tampa Bay is absolutely not getting another Dare Ogunbowale or Peyton Barber, and maybe that’s a good thing. McCoy’s receiving chops are the most important thing he can offer the team right now, and that should be enough to help him make an early impact during the 2020 season. His role may never grow beyond that, but that should be just fine for the Bucs.