Gerald McCoy’s time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers maybe coming to an end, as ESPN Bucs reporter Jenna Laine believes there's a “real chance” Tampa Bay releases McCoy this offseason. The veteran has nine seasons under his belt and has consistently graded as one of the best interior defenders in the game. Although McCoy finished the 2018 season with a solid 78.6 overall grade – 29th among interior defenders – the Buccaneers may choose to cut him as they enter rebuild mode after a disappointing year in which their early-season magic fizzled out.
McCoy is coming off a relatively productive season against both the pass and the run. With 38 pressures (20 hurries, 12 hits, 6 sacks) on 426 pass-rush snaps, McCoy earned the 33rd-best pass-rush productivity rating (5.2) out of 121 qualifying interior defenders. To compliment his pass-rushing ability, McCoy also finished with the 28th-best run-defense grade (81.1) among interior defenders; he recorded 11 run stops on 272 run defense snaps.
Although McCoy hasn’t finished with a top-10 overall grade at his position since 2014, he still produces as he nears his 31st birthday. McCoy is a versatile interior defender and he could instantly plug up the middle of a defense. The veteran should be highly attractive to teams that have dreams of playing in January and February.
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