Gerald McCoy injury update: Bucs DT hurts arm

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their first win of the 2015 National Football League on Sunday afternoon against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedez-Benz Superdome, but they may have also suffered a serious loss. All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy sustained an apparent injury to his right arm in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter and did not return. There were also tweets coming afterwards that McCoy could not move his arm upon entering the locker room.

McCoy is one of the best defensive players in the game, and is doubly important to the Buccaneers who have few impact players on that side of the ball. McCoy racked up 27 sacks over the first five years of his career in Tampa Bay. McCoy was expected to be an immediate impact player for the Buccaneers after being taken with the third-overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and he has lived up to the considerable hype.

The Buccaneers are expected to be much better in 2015 after taking Jameis Winston with the first-overall pick out of Florida State University. Winston looked awful in Week 1, losing 42-14 to the lowly Tennessee Titans. However, Winston was able to get rolling against the Saints, but the potential loss of McCoy could negate any positive vibes. Without McCoy, the only true star on Tampa Bay’s defense would be middle linebacker Lavonte David, who plays a key role in the Cover 2 scheme that head coach Lovie Smith loves to run.