Dallas Cowboys cut Gerald McCoy; What does this mean?

The Dallas Cowboys cut Gerald McCoy, but what does this mean for Big D?

On the first day of the 2020 free agency period, the Dallas Cowboys signed defensive tackle, Gerald McCoy. This had many Cowboys fans jumping for joy, including myself.

Come the first day of padded practice, the six-time Pro Bowler tore his right quadriceps and will miss the entire 2020 season. Dallas responded by cutting him from the roster. What does this mean for the Cowboys?

Contract Details

Cutting McCoy is different than cutting the average player. This is in the sense that Dallas loses a good player that they just went out to grab this offseason and because his contract had some modifications.

There was a clause in his contract that targeted his exact injury. NFL reporter Mike Garafolo found that in the contract, owner Jerry Jones was sure to put in a waiver that if McCoy suffers an injury to his right quad (which just happened) then McCoy misses out on $2.5 million in base salary.

The Cowboys were aware that this injury could come up, and ensured they would be protected financially if this were to happen. While some may look at this as a low blow to McCoy, he was made aware of the detail, and would not have been signed if he did not agree to the waiver.

While McCoy keeps $3 million from the signing bonus, Dallas saves the $2.5 million in base salary. The waiver should also mean the Cowboys are cleared from future ramifications as well.

When adding the $2.5 million tothe current esitmated cap space of $5.2 million, the Dallas Cowboys should have $7.7 million in cap space. With this money, they have more options to explore regarding filling in the spot McCoy was supposed to be in.

There are some players on the roster already that should get a look, but there are also some options elsewhere. Jerry would be wise to look at what’s available on the market short term.