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Former Cowboys WR among 6 Commanders cuts as roster shrinks

The Washington Commanders are narrowing down their roster to 53 players, including a former Dallas Cowboys rival.

Jeremy Brener

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup pushes aside Arizona Cardinals cornerback Marco Wilson.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup pushes aside Arizona Cardinals cornerback Marco Wilson. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Washington Commanders are getting their roster down from 90 players to 53 and they are starting today by cutting six of their own.

The Commanders have cut wide receiver Michael Gallup, cornerback Essang Bassey, offensive lineman Nick Harris, offensive tackle Tyre Phillips, defensive tackle Norell Pollard and wide receiver Braylon Sanders.

READ MORE: Did Commanders overpay or underpay for Terry McLaurin's contract?

Gallup among 6 Commanders cuts

Gallup is the most notable cut of the bunch as he used to play for the Dallas Cowboys from 2018-23.

Gallup entered the league as a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and caught for over 1,000 yards in his second year in the league. Once CeeDee Lamb arrived in 2020, Gallup's role shrunk for the Cowboys offense.

A torn ACL suffered in 2021 ended his season prematurely, forcing him to injured reserve. He came back in 2022 and 2023, but he wasn't the same player as he was before.

In 2024, Gallup signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, but he retired before the start of training camp. He attempted a comeback with the Commanders this summer, but it wasn't enough for him to make the 53-man roster.

It remains to be seen if Gallup will have another chance in the NFL, but time will tell as the league makes hundreds of transactions over the next several days.

With Gallup gone, the Commanders have Ja'Corey Brooks, Noah Brown, River Cracraft, Jacoby Jones, Jaylin Lane, Tay Martin, Luke McCaffrey, Terry McLaurin, Chris Moore, K.J. Osborn and Deebo Samuel as part of their wide receiver room. Now that McLaurin is signed on for the next three years, the Commanders are expected to cut four to six more receivers to get down to five or six wideouts.

The Commanders now have 83 players left on the squad, meaning they will have to make at least 30 more moves before finalizing their team's 53-man roster.

READ MORE: Commanders' biggest rival just got put on blast by a former player

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 season.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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