Cowboys Must Stick To 'No Redshirt' Policy & Avoid Jermod McCoy In NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys have had a strong start to the 2026 NFL Draft, and the team enters Day 3 on Saturday armed with three fourth-round picks. That will allow the Cowboys to make another splash and potentially stop any of the unexpected draft slides.

No player has seen a bigger fall in this year's draft than Tennessee Volunteers star cornerback Jermod McCoy, who was projected as a top-10 pick as recently as the beginning of the month.

However, a few days before the draft, there began to be some draft buzz that there were additional concerns about McCoy's knee, with some belief that he may need another surgery after missing last season due to a torn ACL.

Dallas cannot afford to draft any players who cannot contribute during their rookie campaigns, which is why, despite the value McCoy would bring this late in the draft, Jerry Jones needs to avoid the temptation and stick to his "no redshirt" plan.

Dallas Cowboys 'No Redshirt' Policy

Jerry Jones on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jerry Jones previously said any players who may not be able to contribute in 2026 were "pushed back in my mind" early in the draft process, which seemed to indicate the team would avoid any players with injury concerns or developmental prospect.

When McCoy had a strong Pro Day, it looked like he could be back in the conversation, but the pre-draft nugget from Pelissero seemed to take him out of the picture once again.

"It's not the ACL that he had reconstructed. My understanding is the ACL itself is fine. All the scans look good. The concern is about a bone plug that was used to repair a cartilage defect in his knee. Some of the doctors who have seen his scans are concerned that he will need another surgery to replace that bone plug, which would be an extensive recovery," Pelissero said.

"McCoy feels good... In his mind, he is fully anticipating being ready to roll in the 2026 season. But you've got 32 team doctors, 32 degrees of risk tolerance. Everybody is looking at this."

Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy on the sideline during a game against the New Mexico State Aggies at Neyland Stadium | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dallas is no stranger to dealing with cornerbacks who have knee issues, with Trevon Diggs and Shavon Revel as the most recent examples. They are not in a position now to take any risk on a player who may need to be put on the shelf.

If the Cowboys want to contend, they need to bring in all of the reinforcements they can. Following Round 3, Jerry Jones doubled down on the "no redshirt" policy for Round 4, suggesting straying from the plan wouldn't happen in Round 4.

Dallas doesn't pick again until the seventh round, so it seems like McCoy should be completely out of the picture.

Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET, and with the three fourth-round picks, the Cowboys will be active early, so get your popcorn ready.

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