Long-time division rival Gerald Mccoy has found a new home in the Queen City with the Carolina Panthers. McCoy signed a one year deal worth $8.5 million injecting some major juice into a Panthers front four that ran dry in 2018. Mccoy racked up a 78.1 overall PFF grade in 2018, good for 28th among defensive tackles. Despite not finishing in the top ten in his position since 2014, McCoy was the highest graded defensive player on his team last season. The veteran All-Pro will look to be an instrumental piece on a competitive team, a rare occurrence throughout his 10-year career. Mccoy went 52-92 with Tampa Bay since being drafted in 2010, having only been a part of two winning seasons during his decade spent in the league.
What Gerald McCoy Brings to the Carolina Panthers Defense
Fit
Although McCoy has been a 4-3 defensive tackle his whole career, his pass rushing ability should allow him the flexibility to play at defensive end in the Panthers secret hybrid 3-4 defense that coach Ron Rivera has been concocting throughout the off-season. A front line rotation of Kawann Short, Dontari Poe, and McCoy is absolutely a force to be reckoned with. McCoy has averaged 6.9 sacks per season since 2015, which is pretty nice for someone on the interior.
You can never have too many pass rushers. The Panthers had already taken this philosophy to heart with the off-season addition of edge rushers Bruce Irvin, Brian Burns, and Christian Miller. The team has taken a clear stance on the direction they’d like to go next season, and it starts with getting to the other team’s quarterback.
Gerald McCoy still can help a team. His get off isn’t what it used to be but he creates interior pressure in a variety of different ways. Slant rush onto the center and then a nasty swim move winner to land the QB hit on Cam. Forces the INT. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/3jVvSpL9X6
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) May 21, 2019
Results
This move was helped in part by the $2 million pay cut agreed to by wide receiver Torrey Smith over the past weekend. The Panthers kill two birds with one stone if one bird was a contract that provided a terrible relative return on investment and another one was signing an all-pro defensive tackle. This addition could also spell the end for former first-round pick Vernon Butler who will not have his fifth-year option exercised in 2020.
