AFC East Notes: LeSean McCoy, Bills, Jets

LeSean McCoy

• Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that the Bills need to be prepared for the possibility that RB LeSean McCoy ends up on the Commissioner Exempt List if it gets to the point where there’s enough proof to convict of a crime relating to allegations that surfaced against him earlier in the week.
• Florio explains that if commissioner Roger Goodell believes McCoy “may” have been responsible for the injuries, he can “act where the circumstances and evidence warrant doing so.” This essentially means that the NFL can do whatever it thinks it needs to do.
• According to Florio, the NFL may feel compelled to keep McCoy off the field unless and until he is fully exonerated by the justice system, which is why the exempt list could be a serious consideration regarding McCoy.
• Beyond McCoy’s situation, Florio says that the Bills need to have a fallback plan to replace their starting running back by trade or by signing a free agent such as Adrian Peterson or DeMarco Murray.
• Florio doesn’t rule out the possibility of the Bills cutting ties with McCoy altogether if it becomes clear that McCoy is responsible for the injuries inflicted on his ex-girlfriend, Delicia Cordon.
• According to TMZ Sports, Cordon told police she “thinks her ex-boyfriend poss set her up.” The suspect was described as being a black man wearing a mask and dressed in all black.
• Police visited McCoy’s residence multiple times over the past few years including in July of 2017. At the time, McCoy told police Cordon had items he borrowed from a jeweler and he wanted them back, but was concerned she would “make false accusations about him” of a domestic violence nature. (Mike Garafolo)

Bills

• Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News writes that if Bills RB LeSean McCoy ends up missing time due to the recent allegations made against him, Chris Ivory would be the team’s first option in terms of replacing McCoy in their offense.
• Skurski lists DeMarco Murray, Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, Shane Vereen, Alfred Morris and C.J. Spiller as some free agent options the team could consider if they wanted to bolster their depth at the position.

Jets

• Bryan Costello of the New York Post expects Jets RB Bilal Powell‘s workload to decrease “dramatically” given that he will have fewer opportunities after the team signed RB Isaiah Crowell.
• In addition, Costello believes Jets will increase second-year RB Elijah McGuire‘s carries after RBs coach Stump Mitchell compared him to LaDainian Tomlinson.