The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to use LeSean McCoy more

LeSean McCoy showed the NFL world that he still had some gas left in the tank with his performance last weekend, and the Buccaneers have to use him more.

After a very slow start to his career with the Buccaneers, LeSean McCoy bounced back in a big way last weekend. While five touches for 35 yards doesn’t seem like much, it does hint at the potential that Tampa Bay saw when they initially signed the veteran running back.

From the start, Shady was never supposed to become the lead back with the Buccaneers. Despite playing in that role for numerous teams over the years, and most recently with the Chiefs in 2019, McCoy was meant to be a change of pace option for Ronald Jones.

The Buccaneers needed a consistent running back to make the most of the possible touches, and McCoy was seen as a perfect pairing for Tom Brady.

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The Shady experience started out slow. With Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette sharing the starting jobs and bad injury luck, McCoy quickly fell out of use after his production took a nosedive.

Tampa Bay looked like it tried too hard to fit a square peg into a round hole by adding McCoy to use him in the way they started, but last week showed that this might not be the case.

McCoy looked explosive with his runs. For a player that was known for his burst and speed during his heyday, the Buccaneers had not gotten to meet this version of Shady yet. McCoy looked confident running the football and did so well that it made some wonder why he isn’t getting more touches.

This 35-yard stretch was all McCoy could muster with his chances on Sunday, but he should get a much bigger opportunity to prove himself this weekend if Ronald Jones is ruled out.

The Buccaneers have still failed to find a consistent third-down back, and McCoy should finally solve that issue. While he was initially brought in to do this job and struggled, it’s always better late than never for a player like this to show up.

If McCoy brings that same efficiency this upcoming weekend and shows some prowess through the air, the Buccaneers could be in a substantially better spot moving into the playoffs.

Regardless of what has happened the rest of this season, LeSean McCoy has earned more opportunities in the future, and the Buccaneers have to provide them if they want to be in the best position to win.

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