Getty The Cleveland Browns are optimistic about signing free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.
The Cleveland Browns start mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. Should the team save a locker for free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy?
According to a report, McCoy wants to have a team ASAP. He’s been negotiating with the Browns, Panthers and Ravens, but has yet to make a decision.
On Gerald McCoy: As of this morning, none of his three teams (BAL, CAR, CLE) have been told they’re out of it. They’re all willing to give McCoy the time he needs to decide. Browns minicamp opens tomorrow, but Ravens and Panthers don’t have theirs until next week.
Originally, a decision was initially expected before the weekend, but the time frame has shifted.
Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera came out Monday to say he thinks his team has a good shot to land McCoy.
But if McCoy wants to play for a contender, is Carolina the place to go?
Which teams gives Gerald McCoy the best chance to make the playoffs for the first time in his career?
“I love what Cleveland is doing.”
📺: @KyleBrandt // @gmfb
The Browns have made known their desire to land McCoy and they were his first stop after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month.
The Browns’ interest in McCoy goes back to before his release from Tampa Bay. However, the team’s interest grew when the Bucs decided to cut the three-time All-Pro, eliminating what was a whopping $13 million price tag.
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McCoy is still one of the top players at the position. But he’s 31 and he hasn’t been an All-Pro talent since 2014. His last Pro Bowl was in 2017. Playing with the Browns’ talented unit will minimize double teams and allow McCoy to thrive, especially in situations that allow him to freely rush the passer.
Cleveland signed Sheldon Richardson and traded for Olivier Vernon in the offseason. The Browns already had an All-Pro on the D-line in former first overall pick Myles Garrett, and are expecting big things out of third-year DT Larry Ogunjobi.
McCoy’s role will be different on such a deep unit, but head coach Freddie Kitchens said they didn’t get into specifics when he came to visit.
Kitchens knows one thing for certain — McCoy will make them better.
“He knows he is going to be playing. I know the more good football players you have, the better you are, the better rotation is, the better you can get after a quarterback in a two minute drive,” Kitchens said. “There is a staggering stat or something like 78 percent of two-minute drives, if you have a sack, give up a sack, anywhere along that way, your chances of scoring goes under 20 percent. He knows when we will want to put pressure on the quarterback. He knows that is what we are going to be about. Hopefully he wants to be a part of it.”
The Browns will continue to play the waiting game, but are expecting news soon.