Never let it be said that LeSean McCoy lacks for confidence. The Buffalo Bills running back made some comments Friday that will certainly ruffle some feathers among his peers in the NFL, stating that he’s definitively the league’s best running back while handing out some rankings of his own design.
“I still feel like healthy, there’s no back that can touch me,” McCoy said, appearing on ESPN.
When asked to clarify what he meant, McCoy stated “For sure. A healthy me, for 16 weeks, for sure” is the best running back in the NFL. He then stated that David Johnson of the Arizona Cardinals is the No. 2 back in the league, with DeMarco Murray of the Tennessee Titans coming in third.
Rookie Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys is in the top five, according to McCoy, with a stipulation.
“He’s top five,” McCoy said. “I feel five or six. He’s a rookie. He got to do it again. Had a great year. He finishes runs well, he runs hard. Has good speed. I like Zeke a lot, for sure. I keep it honest.”
Elliott was the top back the NFL with 1,631 rushing yards this past season. McCoy, appearing in 15 games, was No. 6 1,267 yards.
Conspicuously absent from these rankings was Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who would likely garner a fair amount of No. 1 votes from those who cover the league for a living.
Of further interest to this scribe is that McCoy hasn’t been healthy for 16 weeks in a few years. He missed four games in 2015 and one game this past season. And at the age of 28, especially given the work he’s put in since coming into the league in 2009, it’s not a given he’ll ever have another fully healthy season again based on his explosive, jump-cut running style.