Does Jerry Jones 'All In' Mean Dallas Cowboys Cut Michael Gallup?
Injuries are unfortunately a part of sports and for Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup, the ACL injury he suffered in January of 2022 has seen his once high level of play desert him.
Since the injury, Gallup's production has been on a steady decline and this season, he had his second-lowest reception total since his rookie season (34), his lowest yards total (418), lowest yards per game of his career (24.6) and only caught two touchdowns.
With the Cowboys entering a defining season and having decisions to be made due to their salary cap situation, given Gallup's lack of production and his cap hit in 2024, there is a decision to make.
The NFL is ruthless enough as it is. But if the Cowboys are to go "all in,'' as Jerry Jones has pledged?
Dallas probably needs that $9.5 million in cap space it gains by designating Gallup a post-June 1 cut.
Gallup is a good soldier and a try-hard guy. But his 418 yards on 34 catches with two TDs this season isn't $13.85 million worth of value.
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One odd assessment here comes from NFL.com, which writes that the Cowboys "like to hang onto their players too long.'' We're not sure where that opinion comes from; we bet in the receivers room alone, Dez Bryant, Cedrick Wilson, Noah Brown and Amari Cooper would disagree.
What also could play a part in Gallup being moved on is the emergence of Jalen Tolbert and as his snap count on offense dramatically increased (89 in 2022, 477 in 2023), while Gallup's dropped (728 in 2022, 612 in 2023).
Add to that, Tolbert is a cheaper alternative and at times in Mike McCarthy's first season as offensive play-caller, took snaps away from Gallup.
This season, 12 times Gallup had two or fewer receptions, which includes three games where he didn't register a single catch. For a player who has a $13.85 million cap hit, that isn't viable going forward.
The Cowboys have a host of decisions to be made this offseason with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb getting possible extensions, along with the team trying to go "all in" to get over their playoff hump.
And one move that could be made is to part ways with Gallup. It would save money, and see a receiver whose production simply isn't what it used to be despite the player himself happy to do the dirty work on offense in the run game, be moved on.
Jerry and Stephen Jones have to play a delicate game of moving on from players and signing the ones they want to keep, while also being on the lookout for good value free agents.
Again, Gallup has been a good soldier for Dallas, and that matters. But the NFL is a business and it feels like the six-year veteran's services might no longer be required at The Star.
