A month into the season, he was 24th in the NFL in rushing. Behind Bobby Rainey, Trent Richardson and C.J. Spiller. Among a whole bunch of others.
Now, he’s on his way to the Pro Bowl. Again.
LeSean McCoy capped off one of his most difficult seasons with his third Pro Bowl selection. The sixth-year running back was among five Eagles picked to the 2015 Pro Bowl team Tuesday. Jason Kelce, Connor Barwin and Darren Sproles were picked for the first time and Jason Peters for the seventh time.
McCoy struggled early in the season playing behind a makeshift offensive line. But once Lane Johnson returned in Week 5 from his four-game suspension, McCoy finally got going.
During the 11 weeks since Johnson’s return, McCoy’s 1,028 yards are second in the NFL, behind only DeMarco Murray (1,211).
“It means a lot,” McCoy said. “It means a lot for my fellow teammates and guys helping me out getting back in the Pro Bowl.
“You know, it’s a blessing that some people might take for granted. It’s so hard to get in, especially after this hard season, its ups and downs. I’m happy for my linemen to help me get in and it’s truly an honor.”
McCoy led the NFL with 1,607 rushing yards last year. He has 1,220 this year with one game left. The Eagles finish with a meaningless game against the Giants Sunday at the Meadowlands.
McCoy and Marshawn Lynch are the only NFL running backs with at least 1,200 yards in each of the last two years.
McCoy made his first Pro Bowl after the 2011 season and his second last year. He’s the first Eagles running back to make consecutive Pro Bowls since Ricky Watters, following the 1995 and 1996 seasons. McCoy and Watters both attended Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg.
“Everybody knows LeSean is one of the best running backs in the league,” Kelce said. “He's extremely difficult to tackle in the open field, and he's a nightmare for opposing defenses to try and gameplan for. That hasn't changed.
“I think that LeSean McCoy is still, and this is obviously not just our opinion anymore, that LeSean McCoy is still one of the best in the league.”
With his third Pro Bowl honor, McCoy joins Timmy Brown and Billy Barnes as the team’s record holder among running backs in most Pro Bowls.
The Eagles’ other repeat Pro Bowler is Peters, who was picked to his seventh overall and fifth with the Eagles.
Peters is in pretty good company. Of the 45 offensive linemen who’ve made at least seven Pro Bowls and are eligible for the Hall of Fame, 25 have gotten in so far.
Only five players in Eagles history have been picked to more Pro Bowls than Peters’ five: Pete Pihos and Donovan McNabb (six each), Brian Dawkins and Reggie White (seven each) and Chuck Bednarik (eight times).
Peters is certainly laying a pretty good case for the Hall of Fame to call his name one of these years. Players aren’t eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio for five years after their final NFL game.
"I haven't thought about it,” Peters said. “I take it year by year. I'm going to work and try to be the best player I can be every year. That really hasn't hit home. I just show up and play."