Examining LeSean McCoy's Hall of Fame Chances on his 33rd Birthday
The Eagles’ all-time leading rusher LeSean McCoy turned 33 on Monday, and it could very well be the end of the line for the once-electric running back.
With the opening of training camps right around the corner, McCoy remains a free agent.
Now seems like as good a time as any, on his 33rd birthday, to examine his Hall of Fame resume.
His career numbers:
Years played: 12
Games: 170 (141 starts)
Total yards from scrimmage: 15,000, leaving him just outside the top 25 on the NFL’s all-time list behind Jerome Bettis’ 15,111
Rushing yards: 11,102
Yards per carry average: 4.5
Receiving yards: 3,898
Total touchdowns: 89 (73 rushing)
1,000-yard seasons: 6
Other notables: 6 Pro Bowls, twice named first-team All-Pro, two-time Super Bowl winner, NFL rushing leader in 2013 (1,607 yards), NFL rushing-touchdown leader in 2011 (17), and the 2010’s All-Decade team.
A question that gets asked when considering Hall of Fame status is:
Was he one the most dominant players at his position during his era?
The answer is yes. You don’t get named to an all-decade team without being dominant.
LeSean McCoy
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The other two players on the 2010’s decade team were Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch.
Peterson is a lock for the Hall.
In 180 games and still counting with the Detroit Lions, Peterson has 14,280 yards and 118 rushing TDs with 17,286 all-purpose yards.
Lynch is also a free agent and, at 35, his career could be at an end as well.
Lynch's numbers are somewhat comparable to McCoy’s, though lacking in some areas.
Here they are:
Years played: 13
Games: 149 (135 starts)
Total yards from scrimmage: 12,627
Rushing yards: 10,413
Yards per carry average: 4.2
Receiving yards: 2,214
Total touchdowns: 94 (85 rushing)
1,000-yard seasons: 6
Other notables: 5 Pro Bowls, once named first-team All-Pro, one-time Super Bowl winner, NFL rushing-touchdown leader twice (2013 and 2014).
If Lynch gets into the Hall, then so should McCoy.
Seven running backs have been enshrined since 2010: Emmitt Smith (2012), Marshall Faulk (2011), Curtis Martin (2012), Jerome Bettis (2015), Terrell Davis, and LaDainian Tomlinson (2017), and Edgerrin James (2020).
All of them have more yards rushing than McCoy except Davis (7,607), who played just seven years after an injury cut short his career.
It sounds like a solid case for McCoy, except for two players to consider who are not in the Hall: Warrick Dunn and Tiki Barber.
Barber had 15,632 yards from scrimmage, putting him 15th all-time in the NFL in that category. He retired at the end of the 2006 season as the Giants’ all-time rushing leader.
Here are Barber’s numbers:
Years played: 10
Games: 154 (109 starts)
Total yards from scrimmage: 15,632
Rushing yards: 10,449
Yards per carry average: 4.7
Receiving yards: 5,183
Total touchdowns: 67 (55 rushing)
1,000-yard seasons: 6
Other notables: 3 Pro Bowls, once named first-team All-Pro.
Dunn, who retired at the end of the 2009 season, had 15,306 yards from scrimmage, putting him 20th on the all-time NFL list.
His numbers:
Years played: 12
Games: 181 (154 starts)
Total yards from scrimmage: 15,306
Rushing yards: 10,967
Yards per carry average: 4.1
Receiving yards: 4,339
Total touchdowns: 64 (49 rushing)
1,000-yard seasons: 6
Other notables: 3 Pro Bowls, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1997).
Just as you could make a case that McCoy deserves to be enshrined at some point, you could argue the same for Barber and Dunn.
Look a little closer at the numbers, though, and McCoy’s are slightly better than both, and yeah, he should someday get the call from Canton.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
