Gerald McCoy visited Cleveland last week and left town without a contract agreement, but Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens remains confident in the team’s chances of signing the star defensive tackle.
Kitchens was asked by reporters on Thursday if he is optimistic the Browns can sign McCoy, to which he simply replied, “I am.” He also said his meeting with McCoy last Thursday and Friday “went as good as it could.”
“I like the kid,” Kitchens said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “I like the person, of course I like the player, but more importantly just getting know the kid and I really like him.”
There has been no shortage of interest in McCoy since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released him, and he visited with the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers after stopping in Cleveland. Kitchens said the Browns welcome him weighing all of his options.
“We want Gerald to go out and look at other places because when he makes the commitment here, we want him to be all in because everybody that’s going to be here is gonna be all in and that’s what we need to get to where we’re going,” Kitchens said.
It should be a good sign for the Browns that McCoy took his first visit with them, and reports have made it seem like they are the front-runners to sign him. Cleveland has certainly become a more appealing destination for free agents with all the big acquisitions they have made this offseason, and it would not be a surprise if McCoy wanted to be a part of what they are building.
