When the Buffalo Bills signed Frank Gore earlier this offseason, the expectation was that he would be splitting carries with fellow veteran running back LeSean McCoy in 2019.
Well, after the Bills released McCoy this past weekend, it looks like Gore will mostly have the backfield to himself.
Gore said he was taken back by the news.
“I thought he was [joking],” Gore said, according to Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. “Then 10 minutes later, I saw that he was serious.”
McCoy is coming off of an incredibly rough 2018 campaign in which he rushed for just 514 yards and three touchdowns while averaging a meager 3.2 yards per carry, but his release was still surprising.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Gore said. “The guy can still play. … I was looking forward to working with him. We’ve both been successful in this league. I was ready for us to go back and forth, to compete. So, it was tough, but I also know the business. I’m happy that he’s in the situation he’s in, going to Kansas City with his old coach who drafted him. They’ve got a good team over there. I hope he does well. Now it’s trying to keep our room tight — trying to work every day and get better to help this team be successful.”
As Gore noted, McCoy signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, reuniting with Andy Reid. The 31-year-old spent the first six years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Reid was his coach for the first four.
McCoy was originally traded from the Eagles to the Bills in March 2015 and made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three years with the club. Overall, the Harrisburg, Pa. native has made six Pro Bowl appearances while earning two First-Team All-Pro selections.
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