Cowboys News: Former Dallas free agent bust announces retirement

The Dallas Cowboys don’t have a great track record in free agency. Jayron Kearse, Randall Cobb, Joe Looney, and Darren McFadden represent some of the team’s best signings in recent memory, bust most of their best work came during the 1990s and early 2000s when they inked Deion Sanders and Terrell Owens.

Sadly, when it comes to free agency Dallas is more renowned for substantial swings and misses than home runs.

Some of their worst pickups include Greg Hardy, James Washington, who was signed last offseason, Dontari Poe, and Allen Hurns. You’ll notice that each of those players were signed within the last eight years.

Another deserving member of the “bust” crew is Gerald McCoy, who announced his retirement from the NFL a month after his 35th birthday.

Former Cowboys signing Gerald McCoy retired from the NFL

McCoy was never supposed to be a bust.

There was palpable excitement amongst fans when the Cowboys signed him during the 2020 offseason. In need of interior defensive line help, McCoy was coming off a strong season in Carolina and there was hope he’d replicate that performance in Dallas on a three-year, $18.3 million deal.

In 2019, McCoy compiled five sacks, seven tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, 43 pressures, and 25 defensive stops. He finished the year with a 72.4 player grade and a 77.0 run-defense grade, according to Pro Football Focus, so the hype was justified.

Brought in to bolster a Dallas defense that ranked in the top 10 across the board (points, rushing yards, passing yards, etc.) in 2019, McCoy became an afterthought in what ultimately was a lost season for the Cowboys after Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury in Week 5.

During training camp — just three weeks before the start of the regular season — McCoy ruptured his quad during individual drills. Just like that, the six-time Pro Bowler’s season was over and he was released before the year began.

It was a brutal turn of luck for McCoy and the Cowboys, and foreshadowed what was a forgettable year in the injury department.

Even the industrious Zack Martin missed six games, while Tyron Smith suited up for just two contests. Further Chidobe Awuzie missed eight games, Leighton Vander Esch played 10 games, La’el Collins missed the entire year, and Blake Jarwin missed all but one game in what proved to be his final year in Dallas.

Like we said, it’s easy to forget McCoy was a part of that team. He attempted a comeback with the Raiders in 2021 after recovering from the injury, but he suffered another season-ending injury (this time a knee) in Week 1.

It’s clear McCoy’s body broke down after a lengthy and success pro career. We wish him nothing but the best in retirement.

He deserved a better story with the Cowboys.

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