Philadelphia Eagles agree to terms with RB LeSean McCoy

The Eagles agreed to terms with RB LeSean McCoy, the No. 53 overall pick, on a four-year contract.

Though the actual dollar amounts and terms were not released, McCoy’s deal will be paying him a little of above last year’s 53rd pick, Pittsburgh Steelers WR Limas Sweed ($3.27Million for 4 years).

The move by the Eagles to get their highly regarded runner into the fold showed their continued commitment to not having rookie holdouts. McCoy became the first second-rounder taken in the 2009 NFL Draft to sign and he is expected to report to training camp at Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) on Sunday July 26th along with the seven other members of the Birds’ 2009 Draft Class. 

McCoy’s signing leaves only first round selection WR Jeremy Maclin (19th overall) left to sign with the Eagles.

With starting running back Brian Westbrook coming off knee and ankle surgeries this offseason, veteran Correll Buckhalter long gone to the Broncos, and disappointing holdover Lorenzo Booker not looking like the answer, the Eagles will be counting on McCoy (5-11, 210) to hit the ground running at training camp. 

Look for McCoy, who is supposed to be the smaller half of the Eagles new two-headed monster, to get plenty of touches in the Eagles four preseason games. The versatile underclassman from the University of Pittsburgh does have some skill as an elusive runner with great lateral moves—college career rushing totals 2,816 yards and 35 touchdowns. 

Plus McCoy is a very good receiver known for running great routes and having soft hands—65 catches for 549 yards. But in the NFL all running backs must show an ability to pickup a blitz and block, which are both skills that McCoy must improve upon. 

Watch for the Eagles to give McCoy, combo back Kyle Eckel, and Booker first cracks at picking-up the slack for Westbrook until he is totally healthy. If Westbrook is slow to comeback and/or one of the existing running backs on the roster is not the answer there is always the possibility of bringing in a veteran back (Ahmad Green, Warrick Dunn, Deuce McAllister, Edgerrin James, DeShaun Foster, Rudi Johnson).

Posted in 2009 NFL Draft, Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles Tagged: 2009 NFL Draft, Brian Westbrook, Football, LeSean McCoy, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Sports