Cowboys ‘Bold Move’ to Cut WR Michael Gallup? That’s Not ‘Bold’
The future of Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup has been uncertain since the start of last season, and his performance in 2023 has made it even more so.
With career lows in yards (418), touchdowns (two), and yards per game (26.4), as well as the second-lowest reception total of his career (34), Gallup’s role in coach Mike McCarthy’s system has dwindled.
Given his budget hit for next season ($13.8 million, according to spotrac.com), Gallup’s future is bleak, especially given that his snap count decreased this season while Jalen Tolbert’s increased, as one could easily argue that Tolbert should see more offensive snaps in the future.
According to ESPN, removing Gallup would be a “bold” move by the Cowboys this offseason.
What about us? When owner Jerry Jones says he’s “all in,” what exactly does it mean? If this is his definition of “bold,” then this isn’t “all in.” “Gallup has never quite come back from the ACL injury he suffered near the end of the 2021 season,” the report states. “Last season, he was clearly the Cowboys’ third-best receiver.
He rated 59th in receiving DYAR among 81 qualifying receivers. In comparison, CeeDee Lamb was third and Brandin Cooks was 28th after a solid second half of the season.”A routine cut of Gallup would result in a lot of dead money on the Cowboys cap. However, a post-June 1 cut would leave the Cowboys with $9.5 million in extra cap space and $4.4 million in dead money.
That more cap room would benefit the Cowboys, who are now $20 million above the cap for 2024.
Given Gallup’s recent performance, cutting him would hardly be a “bold” decision by the Cowboys; rather, it could be viewed as a necessary move given his cap implications.
Leave a Reply