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Report: Gerald McCoy leaves Cleveland without a deal

Browns still interested in free agent defensive tackle, but McCoy is apparently willing to take his time.

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns hosted Gerald McCoy for a visit on Friday, but the free agent defensive tackle left town without a deal, according to numerous media reports.

McCoy, who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday in a salary cap move, has family plans for the holiday weekend and appears to be willing to take his time about his next team, according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson:

In addition to the Browns, McCoy has a visit scheduled with the Baltimore Ravens that he intends to honor, but that does not mean that Cleveland general manager John Dorsey dropped the ball, according to Mary Kay Cabot at cleveland.com:

McCoy has spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Buccaneers, so it is not a surprise that he may want to take his time selecting his next employer. And with training camp still almost two months away, there is not a huge sense of urgency to get a deal done now. (The Browns will hold a mandatory minicamp from June 4 through June 6, but it is not hard to see a scenario where McCoy would rather skip that.)

As for what he is looking for out of his next team, McCoy is ready to put the losing - Tampa Bay finished last in the NFC South seven times in his nine seasons - behind him, according to Anderson:

With the Browns expected to challenge for the AFC North Division and a playoff spot they certainly meet McCoy’s criteria of being a contender.

In addition to winning, the Browns offer McCoy the opportunity to play on a defensive line with Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon. The front four is already on track to be one of the league’s best; the addition of McCoy would definitely take it to another level.

The Browns and McCoy may not have been able to agree on a deal, but the door is still open for McCoy to get on board with what the team is building.