Cleveland Browns: Would making a move for Gerald McCoy make sense?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Gerald McCory could be on his way out of Tampa Bay, but would the Cleveland Browns making a move for the defensive tackle make sense?

The Cleveland Browns will be in the market for a defensive tackle this off-season. Larry Ogunjobi is a talented defensive tackle, but Cleveland needs another defensive tackle next to him.

Last season, the Browns started Trevon Coley next to Ogunjobi. Although Coley has shown flashes, he is often over-matched. It would make more sense for Coley to be a rotational player instead of being the second defensive tackle.

Coley being over-matched in the interior of the line helped the Browns put up one of the worst run defenses in the league last season. Cleveland had the fifth-worst run defense in 2018, allowing an average of 135.2 rushing yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry.

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The Browns have the ammunition in the draft to add a quality defensive tackle in the first three rounds of the draft. They also have the cap space to sign a talented defensive tackle in free agency, like Grady Jarrett.

But they could combine both their draft ammunition and cap space and trade for one of the most talented interior defensive linemen in the NFL. After a coaching change this off-season, it appears that Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy will be playing for a new team in 2019.

With the hiring of Bruce Arians, the Buccaneers will be changing their defensive scheme from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense. Tampa Bay will likely be moving Vita Vea to nose tackle, leaving McCoy to play as one of the defensive ends in the scheme.

But with the new scheme and coaching staff, McCoy may no longer be seen as a fit for Tampa Bay. And with his $13 million cap hit in 2019, the Buccaneers management seem to be motivated to move the 31-year-old-defensive tackle.

According to a report from Jenna Laine of ESPN, there is a ‘real chance’ that McCoy will not be a Buccaneer next season.

"Gerald McCoy, who has spent all nine of his NFL seasons in the Bucs’ 4-3 scheme, is to make $13 million next year (none guaranteed) if he remains on the roster. Given that the Bucs are about $16.5 million under the salary cap going into 2019, there is a real chance he won’t return."

There is belief that Tampa Bay will cut McCoy by the time the new league year begins in March, but they will likely take a look at the trade market to see how much value they could potentially get for McCoy. The Browns should be one of those teams that makes a call to Tampa Bay.

Although McCoy is on the downside of his career and still has three years remaining on his contract, he would fit well into the Browns defense. With Ogunjobi playing as the one-tech, McCoy would slide in as the three-tech.

McCoy’s numbers in 2018 are not the numbers that many around the league would have expected from him. In 14 games, McCoy compiled only 28 tackles, six tackles for loss, six sacks, and 21 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus graded him as the 29th best interior defensive lineman in 2018. He was also graded as the 28th best against the run and 31st pass rushing.

It was one of McCoy’s worst seasons of his career, but he still able put up respectable numbers. For Cleveland, it would be worth taking on McCoy’s hefty salary to build up their defensive line to try and improve their run defense.

Cleveland has plenty of cap space over the next few seasons to take on McCoy’s salary. According to Spotrac, the Browns will have $75 million in cap space this off-season. McCoy no longer has any guaranteed money on his contract, so Cleveland could cut bait if McCoy’s performance continues to fall.

But adding McCoy to a defensive line with Ogunjobi, Myles Garrett, and the combination of Emmanuel Ogbah and Genard Avery, McCoy would not be the center of attention of opposing offenses. He would see less double-teams in Cleveland than he did in Tampa Bay, allowing him a better chance of making an impact in the backfield.

With already such a young roster and a lot of talent in key positions, it would not hurt the Browns to move some of their draft selections. The Browns have their own selections in the first six rounds of the draft, while also owning another third-round pick, two other fifth-round selections, and two seventh-round selections.

It is not known what it would take to trade for McCoy, but the Browns have the assets necessary to put together a compelling offer. A trade could also be their only chance of adding McCoy. If the Buccaneers cut McCoy, he may not be interested in signing with the Browns and instead wan to sign with a Super Bowl contender.

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There are several options available to the Browns to add to the defensive tackle position. But McCoy could be one of the most intriguing options. Adding McCoy to the Browns defense would instantly improve the unit, and could make them one of the toughest defenses to play against. So to answer the question, it would make plenty of sense for the Browns to make a move for McCoy.

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