Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Bills' trade for LeSean McCoy creates ripples in AFC East

A few quick thoughts on the Buffalo Bills' acquisition of former Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy. (Note: The two teams have agreed to the trade, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, but it can't become official until next week.)

1. New York Jets linebacker David Harris, a pending free agent, just made some extra money. To get McCoy, the Bills traded linebacker Kiko Alonso, the runner-up to Sheldon Richardson in the 2013 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Now old friend Rex Ryan has a hole in his linebacking corps, and he's expected to make a push for Harris, who ran his defense for six years in New York. Ryan was planning to pursue Harris anyway, but now the need is greater. So is Harris' leverage, which could force the Jets to pay more than they anticipated. They can't afford to lose him because ...

2. You could argue McCoy is now the best offensive weapon in the AFC East, not counting quarterbacks. It's either McCoy or New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. McCoy has rushed for a league-high 6,155 yards since 2010. The Jets almost always have a highly-ranked run defense, and they'll need to be on their game in 2015 with McCoy in the division.

3. Running back C.J. Spiller is a goner in Buffalo, intensifying speculation he's headed to the Jets as a free agent. But as I said earlier, I don't believe the Jets will be chasing Spiller in free agency.

4. Ryan said at his introductory news conference that his offense would be Ground & Pound. McCoy helps him immeasurably, but guess what? You can't win in this league without a quarterback, and Ryan still doesn't have one.

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