Cowboys' McCarthy felt 'sick' after McCoy's season-ending injury
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy knew defensive lineman Gerald McCoy's injury was serious right away, and he feels awful that the veteran is going through this situation.
"Very, very unfortunate," McCarthy said Tuesday, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. "It makes you sick on a personal level, anytime you see a player go through this type of injury. ... I can't tell you what he has meant to our D-line in the short time we've been together."
"When Gerald was walking off, I knew it was of serious nature," McCarthy added. "I know (assistant defensive line coach) Leon Lett was sick about it. (Defensive line coach) Jim Tomsula and he were sick about it. And really, Gerald was probably the most positive."
McCoy suffered a ruptured quad tendon while performing routine drills during the first padded practice of training camp.
Here’s video shot by @CBS11Sports photojournalist Bill Ellis of Gerald McCoy’s season ending ruptured right quadriceps tendon injury suffered in @dallascowboys 1st practice in pads today...maybe @profootballdoc can explain how this happened??? pic.twitter.com/qceuui1r1p
— Bill Jones (@CBS11BillJones) August 17, 2020
The 32-year-old is expected to miss the entire 2020 season, but McCarthy said McCoy wants to be around the team while recovering from the ailment.
McCarthy also believes the Cowboys' defensive line can still play at a high level, but the 56-year-old acknowledged that Dallas' veterans will need extra help from younger players.
"Overall depth of the defensive line is something we feel we're in good shape there," he said. "(The McCoy injury) definitely heightens the awareness and urgency of younger players stepping up."
McCoy was one of multiple former Pro Bowl defensive linemen brought in by the Cowboys this offseason, along with Dontari Poe and Everson Griffen. Dallas' depth chart also features young defensive tackles in 2019 second-round pick Trysten Hill and 2020 third-rounder Neville Gallimore.