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The NFL Draft begins this week, but roster building for 2020 has been happening for some time now. Obviously the Cowboys didn’t make any gigantic moves in free agency but they certainly did enough things to keep us entertained.
If you ask any Cowboys fan who their favorite acquisition to this point has been it is likely that they’d answer with defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. Seeing the Cowboys add some interior presence along the defensive line is a sight for sore eyes.
McCoy recently did an interview with the mothership and throughout it we learned a few interesting things. You can watch it for yourself right here.
We previously highlighted some of the more notable things that McCoy told ESPN in a separate interview and we’ve done it again for you with this one.
The Cowboys tried to land McCoy last year
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved on from McCoy last year there were many Cowboys fans that wanted to see the team go and get him then. Ultimately McCoy ended up with the Carolina Panthers with his now-again teammate Dontari Poe.
McCoy mentions early on in the interview that the Cowboys reached out to him last year but that they couldn’t figure things out with a contract. Obviously Dallas managed to figure it out this season (with a contract that many fans are pleased with) which is good to see.
He believes in Mike McCarthy
Gerald McCoy has been in the NFL for a long time, but he has unfortunately never experienced what the playoffs are like (things have been rough in Tampa Bay for a while). He spoke about how he believes in what Mike McCarthy is doing and how he thinks the Cowboys can help him break through.
“More importantly man, I truly believe in Coach McCarthy and what his plan is. I believe in my teammates and the opportunity I have to win. I’m coming down the final stretch of my career and haven’t had the opportunity to make the playoffs. I believe that this team is the one that can really make some noise this year.”
McCoy knew DeMarcus Lawrence prior to joining the Cowboys
Obviously it isn’t breaking news that NFL players from different teams are acquaintances, but apparently Gerald McCoy and DeMarcus Lawrence had a relationship prior to the former joining the latter’s team.
McCoy detailed that he and Tank met at the Pro Bowl and that the idea of joining up together was one that excited them both.
“The one person I had a relationship with was DeMarcus Lawrence. We met at the Pro Bowl, we stayed in contact. Obviously all of the fans know how dominant a player he is. And we had such a good time at the Pro Bowl. And when I realized I had an opportunity to play for Dallas I reached out to him and he was really excited. And then once we confirmed and made it official we got really excited. So we’ve been in touch and contact. I don’t know if you guys know, I don’t know how much he’s posted letting you guys know, but he’s grinding. He’s really putting in the work to have a big year. So I’m excited about that.”
Gerald also said that Lawrence has been putting in the work this offseason.
He’s lost 20 pounds since last season ended
There has been discussion about Gerald McCoy’s diet before (which he addressed in his interview with ESPN), and while it is only April, it is worth mentioning that he is apparently down 20 lbs. since the 2020 season ended. Nice symmetry there.
He did note that the weight loss was by design. He mentioned that he’s spoken to Bruce Smith, Michael Strahan, and Tony Gonzalez about how they slimmed down in their older NFL years. He explained that while he had a solid year last season he felt heavy and didn’t like the way that he looked or was moving and he ultimately attributed it to being too heavy.
McCoy noted that the day after the season ended he went on a 10-day detox and lost 15 lbs. and that he’s been keeping the weight off in that process. He said that he weighed in “yesterday” at the time of this interview and that he came in at 295 and that he hasn’t been that low since he was a rookie (2010).