Gerald McCoy released by Cowboys one day after suffering season-ending injury

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
Updated ·3 min read

The Dallas Cowboys won’t just be without defensive tackle Gerald McCoy this year after he suffered a season-ending quad injury on Monday.

They are simply moving on for good.

Dallas released McCoy via an injury waiver he had on his deal with the team, the Cowboys announced on Tuesday afternoon. The waiver allowed the team to cut him should he injure his quad — which is exactly what happened.

McCoy was set to make at least $2.5 million in base salary guarantees this season, and received a $3 million bonus when he signed with Dallas in March. He will get to keep the bonus, and the Cowboys will save just more than $3 million on the salary cap this year because of the move.

McCoy’s season-ending injury

McCoy went down on Monday in a one-on-one drill at practice, which marked the first padded practice of training camp, executive vice president Stephen Jones announced on Monday. He fell to the ground after taking just two quick steps back and instantly grabbed his leg, clearly in pain.

“I just want to say I’m still smiling,” McCoy said in a video posted on the Cowboys’ Twitter account earlier on Tuesday. “Surgery is about to happen. To my teammates and coaches, y’all go get it. You got a championship to go win. To all my family and friends, I love you guys. To all the fans, stay tuned.”

The Cowboys signed McCoy to a three-year, $18 million deal in free agency after his one-year stint with the Carolina Panthers last season. He recorded 37 total tackles last year, his 10th in the league and first not playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 draft.

McCoy was expected to be a key piece of the Cowboys’ defensive line, especially after Malik Collins left this past offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders. The team is also still without former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Everson Griffen, who has yet to practice in Dallas after clearing the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol, and Dontari Poe, who was recently activated off the PUP list after dealing with his own quad injury.

Dallas Cowboys DT Gerald McCoy
A waiver in Gerald McCoy's contract allowed the Cowboys to release him should he injure his quad, which he did on Monday. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

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