Cowboys sign Gerald McCoy: Grades, reaction and more
Gerald McCoy agreed to a three-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys to bolster their defensive line. Here we grade the signing.
The Dallas Cowboys beefed up their defensive line with the signing of free agent Gerald McCoy on Wednesday.
ESPN’s Todd Archer reported the deal.
McCoy’s arrival will help offset the losses of Maliek Collins and Robert Quinn, who agreed to deals with the Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears respectively.
A consistent and durable veteran with a history of producing even on bad teams, McCoy provides the Cowboys with a much-needed disruptive presence on the interior of the defensive line.
Contract Details
Though the financial numbers are yet to be reported, Archer said it is a three-year deal for McCoy.
The Cowboys have agreed to terms with defensive lineman Gerald McCoy on a three-year deal, according to a source. Like all these deals, it’s pending a physical. McCoy started every game last season for Carolina after a nine-year run with Tampa Bay. He... https://t.co/ydMR3wPmzv
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 18, 2020
National Reaction
The Gerald McCoy signing is great because it means Trysten Hill won't be forced to play.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 18, 2020
Gerald McCoy can thrive in whatever alignment Cowboys ask of him, working up and down line as a 5-, 3- or 1-technique. His arrival, if finalized, would help mitigate departures of Robert Quinn (56 pressures) and Maliek Collins (48). But other D-line moves still to come.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 18, 2020
Unless the money is out of whack, I dont see much down side to the Gerald McCoy signing tbh. Contract is a little long but wouldn't be surprised if DAL has an early once the details are reported.
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 18, 2020
Per @DavidMooreDMN Gerald McCoy is expected to join the Dallas Cowboys
— PFF (@PFF) March 18, 2020
McCoy: 42 total pressures in 2019
14th among IDL pic.twitter.com/haHN8fcPjq
Okay Cowboys, the Gerald McCoy signing was a step in the right direction.
— Dalton Miller (@DaltonBMiller) March 18, 2020
Now go get a fat guy and a rotational 3T and that interior is looking a whole lot better.
McCoy has tallied at least five sacks in every season since 2012 and reached that number last season while playing for a Carolina Panthers team that faded dismally after a 5-3 start.
His consistency as a pocket pusher is in stark contrast to that of Collins, who has reached five sacks just once during his four seasons in the league.
It is fair to wonder whether McCoy, now 32, will be able to maintain that level of production over the course of a three-year contract.
However, in the immediate future, he provides an upgrade for a defensive line that finished a disappointing 19th in Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Sack Rate metric last year. The addition of McCoy should help them climb that ladder in 2020.
Extra work is still needed on the defensive side of the ball. Demarcus Lawrence could use more help to take some of the edge-rushing burden off his shoulders. Cornerback is also an area of need after Byron Jones unsurprisingly departed to sign a lucrative deal with the Miami Dolphins.
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Signing McCoy is a good start, though, and having franchised and signed Amari Cooper to a five-year contract, Cowboys fans have to be satisfied with what Dallas has achieved so far this offseason.