Gerald McCoy - Pro Football Rumors

Major Injuries: Week 2

September 14th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Rory Parks

Here at Pro Football Rumors, we tend to stay away from injury news and report instead on issues concerning player movement, transactions, etc. However, when there is a major injury to a star player, the potential roster impacts of such an injury are readily apparent. As such, we will update this post with those injuries from Week 2 that could significantly alter a team’s personnel decisions going forward.

Chiefs‘ star players Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry were both ruled out of today’s 24-17 loss to the Broncos (via Twitter). Head coach Andy Reid said both players had suffered ankle injuries, reports Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter). Charles will have an MRI tomorrow to test the seriousness of his injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Earlier, we saw that Bengals‘ receiver A.J. Green went down with a toe injury. Green said after the game that his toe is not broken and that he hopes to play next week, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter). Pro Football Talk reports that a league source believes Green should Dr. Anderson in Charlotte to rule out a Lisfranc injury (via Twitter).
Chargers‘ running back Ryan Mathews suffered a sprained MCL in the team’s impressive 30-21 victory over the Seahawks, reports Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego. He will undergo further tests to see the extent of the injury.
The Rams‘ versatile playmaker Tavon Austin exited today’s 19-17 win over the Buccaneers with a knee injury, reports Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). The extend of the injury is unknown, and Austin will have more tests tomorrow.
Buccaneers‘ defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was also injured in that game, reportedly breaking his hand, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It has yet to be determined whether or not McCoy will be able to play through the injury.
Bears‘ star cornerback Charles Tillman left the Sunday Night Football game with a triceps injury, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune notes that it was a right biceps injury just like this one that forced Tillman to miss a huge chunk of the 2013 campaign (via Twitter).
Giants‘ cornerback Walter Thurmond suffered what is thought to be a strained pectoral muscle in the team’s 25-14 loss to the Cardinals, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Post (via Twitter). He will receive an MRI tomorrow to confirm.
Another key piece to the Giants‘ defense, Jon Beason, suffered a toe injury, according to Vacchiano (via Twitter). Vacchiano notes that the team is worried considering a toe injury on the same foot caused him to miss nearly the entire offseason.

Earlier Updates

Dolphins RB Knowshon Moreno has suffered a dislocated elbow and is expected to miss four to eight weeks, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
We learned earlier today that Griffin suffered a dislocated ankle and could miss the remainder of the season, depending on the severity of the injury.
Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered an injury to his left ankle, and Washington receiver DeSean Jackson injured his shoulder in today’s game against the Jaguars. The team announced (Twitter links) that neither player will return to the game.
Meanwhile, Bengals receiver A.J. Green suffered a toe injury in today’s game against the Falcons and will not return, tweets Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.

Buccaneers Notes: McCown, Dotson, Bowers

August 9th, 2014 at 4:05pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Buccaneers’ offense was dreadful in their first preseason game on Friday, particularly Josh McCown and the offensive line, writes Gary Shelton of the Tampa Bay Times. Although McCown has already been named the starter, he gave no reassurances that he could handle the job. The offensive line was just as disappointing, and has fans and pundits in the Tampa area worried about the unit this season.

Here are some other notes from the team’s first week of the preseason:

Right tackle Demar Dotson acknowledged the offensive line’s struggles on Friday, according to Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Bay Tribune (via Twitter). “In the first preseason game, you expect some mistakes,” said Dotson. “You can’t look at it & panic.”
Head coach Lovie Smith responded to the poor play of his offensive line by saying that he is always looking for outside help if it improves the team, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The team was rumored to be interested in 49ers’ guard Alex Boone, should he become available. However, Smith did say he thought they had the offensive line in place that could do the job this season.
On a positive note, star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy spoke about the versatility of Da’Quan Bowers, according to Kaufman (via Twitter). “He’s playing inside, he’s playing outside,” said McCoy. “And he’s making plays at both positions.”

Extra Points: Bucs, Lions, Boone, Chargers

May 27th, 2014 at 9:22pm CST by Zachary Links

What’s harder, learning an NFL offense or studying at Harvard? Buccaneers rookie tight end Cameron Brate gave Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times the answer. “This is definitely harder,” said Brate, comparing the playbook to his classes at Cambridge. “Once you get the base down, everything builds off of that in economics. One thing that Harvard helped me out with was teaching me how to learn efficiently.” More from around the NFL..

Free agent tight end Jermichael Finley will undergo testing with the Packers tomorrow, writes Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel. This could be a sign that his spinal contusion has healed and that he’s closer to getting back on the field.
The Lions worked out defensive tackle Derek Landri today, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) Landri, 31 in September, signed a two year, $3.25MM contract with the Buccaneers in March 2013 and was released in February of this year.
The Bucs are discussing a long-term deal with All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy but that’s not exactly at the forefront of his mind. “That’s cool,” McCoy said, according to Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times. “That sounds good, but I’m not worried about that right now.” One of McCoy’s priorities for this offseason will be to get more familiar with the Tampa 2 defense that Lovie Smith has brought back to the franchise.
The 49ers‘ method of signing promising inexperienced backups to modest contract extensions can backfire and Alex Boone is just the latest example, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 26-year-old was a no-show for OTAs over dissatisfaction with his deal. He’s set to earn base salaries of $2MM this season and $1.2MM in 2015.
While he wouldn’t name names, Chargers GM Tom Telesco told SiriusXM that the 2014 crop of undrafted free agents is better than those that were signed in 2013, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1.
Prized offseason pickup Chris Johnson took to Twitter to let everyone know that he wants to see the Jets go out and get disgruntled Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson. The star receiver, frustrated with several difficult seasons, was a no-show for OTAs in Houston.
The Bears‘ draft picks and free agent pickups look strong in OTAs and seem comfortable with their new surroundings and schemes, writes Matt Bowen of the Chicago Tribune. The Bears’ additions on the defensive front, including defensive end Jared Allen, give Chicago a level of flexibility that they didn’t have last season.
In this week’s mailbag, Mike Jones of the Washington Post discusses the Redskins‘ front office following the departure of Morocco Brown and Bruce Allen being bumped up to President and GM.

Extension Candidate: Gerald McCoy

May 26th, 2014 at 10:43pm CST by Rory Parks

Yesterday, we learned that the Buccaneers have reached out to the agent of star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy in hopes of initiating talks on a contract extension, so it only makes sense to continue our series on extension candidates with a more detailed piece on McCoy.

McCoy, taken in the first round of the 2010 draft–just one pick after Lions DT Ndamukong Suh–struggled with injuries in each of his first two seasons in the league, missing three games with a left biceps tear in 2010 and missing 11 games with a right biceps tear in 2011. However, he showed flashes of dominance during those years and then established himself as a bonafide star in 2012, racking up five sacks, 37 quarterback hurries, and, most importantly, anchoring the interior of Tampa Bay’s stifling run defense.

Things only got better for McCoy in 2013, as he piled up 10 sacks and, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), graded out as the top defensive tackle in the game. He will become a free agent at the end of the 2014 season, and, if he has not received an extension by that time, will be hitting the free agent market as a game-changing interior lineman at age 27.

As a top draft pick in the last year of the old CBA, McCoy is already a very wealthy man, having a signed a five-year, $63MM rookie contract in the summer of 2010. So what will his next contract look like? Probably pretty similar to the first one. The Bengals’ Geno Atkins, who is about a month younger than McCoy and who finished right above McCoy as PFF’s best defensive tackle in 2012–Atkins was 11th best in 2013, despite missing seven games with an ACL tear–signed a five-year, $55MM extension with Cincinnati in September of 2013. Two years earlier, a then-27-year-old Haloti Ngata signed a five-year extension with the Ravens worth $61MM. Ngata was reportedly offered a lucrative, long-term extension this offseason, but there is some dispute surrounding that rumor and no concrete financial details were released.

It seems, then, that McCoy can reasonably expect an extension in the five-year, $55-60MM range. ESPN.com’s Pat Yaskinsas suggested something even more lucrative, calling McCoy Tampa Bay’s “best player” and opining that a contract worth $13MM annually would not be unreasonable. For his part, McCoy has expressed excitement about the defense that new head coach Lovie Smith plans to install and has indicated that he has no intentions of holding out if he does not have a new deal by training camp. Judging by yesterday’s report, the Bucs hope that a new deal will, in fact, be reached before the start of the season, which would allow them to continue to reap the benefits of their star tackle as he progresses through his prime physical years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

NFC Links: Giants, Buccaneers, Rams

May 26th, 2014 at 7:03pm CST by Ben Levine

A handful of ESPN’s NFC writers were kind enough to give us some reading material on this holiday. Let’s take a look at some interesting notes from those articles…

“Economics” was the main reason why the Giants didn’t pursue a pass rusher like Michael Johnson in free agency, says ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. The team already has some depth at defensive end, and Graziano thinks the Giants were wise to use their resources elsewhere.
Graziano also thinks it makes sense for the Giants to start Adrien Robinson at tight end. Instead of bringing in a veteran, the writer says they might as well roll with the player they’ve been developing.
ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas thinks it’s a good idea for the Buccaneers to extend defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. The writer suggests a contract worth about $13MM annually and says the steep price is worth it for the team’s best player.
Rams running backs Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham and Tre Mason are set to hold their respect jobs “for the foreseeable future,” writes ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. This means running backs Isaiah Pead and Chase Reynolds are likely competing for one job. Wagoner says undrafted rookies Kadeem Jones and Trey Watts could also join that competition.

Bucs Start Contract Talks With Gerald McCoy

May 25th, 2014 at 11:13am CST by Rory Parks

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht has contacted Ben Dogra, the agent for DT Gerald McCoy, in the hopes of initiating long-term contract talks, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. McCoy, who is set to become a free agent after the 2014 season, has established himself as one of the more dominant defensive linemen since he was drafted by the Bucs with the third overall pick of the 2010 draft.

Tampa Bay head coach Lovie Smith has deemed a new contract with McCoy a “priority.” Geno Atkins‘ new five-year, $55MM deal with the Bengals has set the bar high for top defensive tackles like McCoy.

NFC Rumors: McCoy, Rams, Falcons, Packers

April 15th, 2014 at 10:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is excited to see the Tampa 2 return to Tampa Bay, Rick Stroud and Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times write. “It’s definitely going to be different,” McCoy said. “We’re playing the old-school, traditional Tampa 2 defense, and all we’ve been watching is old Chicago tape when (new Bucs coach Lovie Smith) was there. When (the Bucs) were in their prime, from 1996 to 2002, we’ve been watching all that tape because that’s when the Tampa 2 was really thriving and took over the league. I’m excited about it.” More on McCoy and other notes out of the NFC..

McCoy is entering the last year of his deal with the Buccaneers but has no intention of holding out if he doesn’t have a new deal by training camp, he told reporters today (Twitter link via Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune). Between his base salary and workout bonus, McCoy is slated to earn more than $13MM this season before his contract voids, according to Over The Cap.
North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner started a two-day visit with the Rams today, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter).
Sacramento State punter Justin Weldon punted for the Falcons today with Oklahoma wide receiver Jalen Saunders catching punts, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
The Packers are unlikely to draft of tackle but there’s plenty of talent out there if they change their mind, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. For now, it appears David Bakhtiari will stay at left tackle with Bryan Bulaga returning to right tackle.

NFC Notes: Panthers, Allen, Rams, Bucs, Lions

March 26th, 2014 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters today, including ESPN.com’s David Newton, head coach Ron Rivera attempted to clear the air when it came to the Panthers‘ decision to release Steve Smith. While there had been a belief that Smith was viewed as a locker-room distraction, that wasn’t the case, according to Rivera, who said the decision was purely a football one.

“This is not a fly-by-night decision,” Rivera said. “This was not a personal decision…. There was nothing personal about it. I’m a little disappointed that so many people reacted the way they did without truly understanding there was a lot of things that go into this. This was not a willy-nilly, fly-by-night vengeful thing. This was a very calculated [decision].”

Here’s more from around the NFC, with a focus on head coaches’ comments from Orlando….

Rivera also made it clear this morning that the Panthers will be drafting at least one receiver, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who originally reported that Jared Allen was expected to sign with the Seahawks, hears from the defensive end that the Bears entered the mix for him at the last minute.
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher told reporters today, including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link), that his team hasn’t had trade talks involving the No. 2 pick at this point. Of course, that’s not to say discussions won’t occur at some point.
The Rams will host Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews for a private workout, according to Fisher (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links) passes along a couple highlights from Lovie Smith‘s conversation with the media today. According to the Buccaneers head coach, the team feels good about Josh McCown and Mike Glennon but could add another quarterback in the draft. Smith also said that extending Gerald McCoy‘s contract is a priority: “We want him around for a long time.”
Before tight end Jim Dray signed with the Browns, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was very interested in bringing Dray back to the Cardinals, tweets Nate Ulrich.
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said today that the club would like to add a pass-rushing outside linebacker, and are looking for “a little bit different flavor” rusher to pair with Ezekiel Ansah, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Caldwell and Lions GM Martin Mayhew will both attend Texas A&M’s Pro Day tomorrow to check out wide receiver Mike Evans, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).