DALLAS — There has already been a serious injury that alters the composition of the roster with only one real practice in the books for the Dallas Cowboys. Such is life in the NFL. After waiting eight long months, the team finally put the pads on Monday morning and it didn’t take long to lose an impact player.
The initial reports were that defensive tackle Gerald McCoy went down with a leg injury in practice. The first word on the injury wasn’t good, as the team feared that McCoy had a serious injury. The news trickled in from there with the assumptions becoming worse and worse in regards to his 2020 fate.
By the time the official details came out, it was confirmed that the Cowboys’ big-ticket free agent signing for their defense had ruptured his quadriceps tendon and would be lost for the 2020 season.
McCoy was one of the valued additions brought in by the Cowboys to beef up the interior of their defensive line. Dallas has been searching for someone with McCoy’s presence in the middle of the defense for far too long and his injury will present a challenge for new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.
The Cowboys will miss McCoy, who had received praise from new head coach Mike McCarthy as recently as just before the fateful practice that claimed his season.
With the MRI results confirming the injury, the defense will need to adjust quickly. McCoy was brought in to help anchor the inside of the defensive line and was being counted on for his ability to disrupt the passing game, as well as be a run stopper. The veteran was also signed on to help mentor the young defensive linemen.
As much as it will hurt to not have one of the big free agents on the field for the Cowboys, the team does have some versatility to get by without McCoy. Tyrone Crawford has split his time in the NFL at both DE and DT, so he can always kick inside if needed.
The team still has Antwaun Woods as another veteran option and the newfound playing time could signal a huge opportunity for last year’s second-round pick Trysten Hill and this year’s third-rounder Neville Gallimore.
Hill has been somewhat of an afterthought this offseason, but he does have the tools to be successful. This could be Hill’s time to prove he belongs or a chance for Oklahoma draftee Gallimore to step in for fellow Sooner McCoy.
It’s been a great offseason for the Cowboys, who signed McCoy, Dontari Poe, Aldon Smith, and Everson Griffen for the defensive line. The additions of the veterans helped to build depth and gave the team versatility to withstand injuries in the trenches. Losing McCoy is a definitive setback, but it isn’t a crushing blow to the defense. Dallas has the fail-safe in place, even if they weren’t option No. 1.
The Cowboys received their first bad news of the season, but the silver lining is that the injury happened early enough in training camp for the Cowboys to adjust quickly. The defense lost one of their prized free agent players, but the next men up should soften the loss of McCoy.
Do you think the Cowboys will be able to count on their younger interior lineman this season? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
