Getty Tom Brady, DeMarcus Lawrence
Nobody at this point knows when — or sadly if — the game would take place, but a pair of Dallas Cowboys pass-rushers are champing at the bit to face Tom Brady.
That is, newly-minted Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, which feels weird to type after the future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer changed conference hats.
But he won’t feel weird to sack, to hit, to harass. Just ask DeMarcus Lawrence.
Welcome to the NFC Mr. @TomBrady !! We’ve been expecting you.
The Cowboys and Buccaneers aren’t scheduled to meet during the regular season.
Regardless, Brady obviously brings an unprecedented amount of hype to the Buccaneers outfit as it enters year two of the Bruce Arians era. The now-former Patriot (again, weird) walks into a favorable situation with an all-star supporting cast, featuring Pro Bowl wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and athletic pass-catching tight end O.J. Howard.
Once Tampa Bay adds to the backfield, likely via the NFL draft, they will have accumulated more weapons than Brady was bestowed amid his final seasons in New England.
The team’s talent level isn’t restricted to the offense, however. The other side of the ball is buoyed by defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul, edge rusher Shaq Barrett, and inside linebacker Lavonte David. Nine Pro Bowls between the four.
New Cowboys DL Gerald McCoy is intimately familiar with the lineup, having spent nearly a decade (2010-18) donning pewter. A close friend, he’s hopeful David — who, like McCoy, has never appeared in a playoff game — can see meaningful January football now that Brady’s at the helm.
But …
“If we meet them in the playoffs, they gonna have to go home,” McCoy said last week on Sirius XM NFL Radio, via The Athletic.
The Buccaneers haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2007, nor have they won a playoff game since their championship-capturing 2002 campaign. Oddsmakers bumped the club’s odds to win the Super Bowl from 40/1 to 14/1, owed exclusively to Brady’s arrival.
Dallas isn’t far behind, with 20/1 odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February. And because it’s an even year — they reached the playoffs in 2014, 2016 and 2018 — it stands to reason that Brady vs. Cowboys could indeed transpire next winter.
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McCoy Explains ‘Dream Come True’ of Joining Big D
Growing up in Oklahoma, McCoy frequently tuned into Cowboys games, “because it’s all we had.” Decades later, the decorated defender finds himself a member of America’s Team, in a turn of events that can only be described as magical.
“It’s almost like a dream come true to play for a team grew up watching,” he said last week in an interview on Sirus XM NFL Radio, per NFL.com.
The Cowboys and McCoy agreed to three-year, $20 million contract at the onset of free agency. He brings with him a decade of starting experience and a resume highlighted by six Pro Bowl trips and three first-team All-Pro selections. Suffice it to say, this was a big get for a Dallas defense which lost two starting defensive linemen, Robert Quinn (Bears) and Maliek Collins (Raiders), during the annual signing period.
And a bigger accomplishment to McCoy, joining the franchise he spent his formative years idolizing — the franchise he feels isn’t far off from contending for a title.
“They have so much talent,” he said, via The Athletic. “Unfortunately they couldn’t put it together last year, but every year is different. I truly believe they have all the pieces necessary.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL