Getty Michael Gallup and Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys‘ embarrassment of riches at wide receiver is a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless, posits Bleacher Report.
And the way to solve it, if they wanted, which in reality they likely don’t, is by removing the third of the Big Three — last year’s breakout star, Michael Gallup — ahead of the 2020 NFL campaign.
Columnist Kristopher Knox believes the Cowboys should “consider” trading Gallup to a needy suitor. His logic is two-fold: Net premium compensation (sell high) and establish first-round rookie CeeDee Lamb as Amari Cooper’s long-term partner-in-pass-catching.
For most teams, the idea of trading wideout Michael Gallup would be foolish. He’s just 24 years old, is coming off a 1,107-yard season and has two years remaining on his rookie contract. However, the Dallas Cowboys are not most teams.
Dallas just gave fellow receiver Amari Cooper a five-year, $100 million extension and is trying to work out a long-term deal with quarterback Dak Prescott. There simply may not be enough money available to pay Gallup when he’s eligible for a new deal next offseason.
And with rookie first-round receiver CeeDee Lamb now in the fold, Gallup could be viewed as somewhat expendable.
While it would be ideal to have a trio of Cooper, Gallup and Lamb catching passes from Prescott well into the future, it’s not feasible. Sending Gallup to a receiver-needy team now would likely net a Day 2 draft pick at worst and would open the door for Lamb to become Cooper’s new running mate.
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No Chance, For Now
I’d say this isn’t a bad idea, but I’d be lying. Dallas didn’t erect a top-five WR corps only to dismantle it as quickly as it was built. Suggesting they move Gallup sometime in the future is one thing; suggesting they cut bait before the trio takes even one snap together is quite another — ludicrous.
From a financial standpoint, the team controls Gallup’s rights through 2022, and for relative peanuts. He’s scheduled to make just $750,000 ($972,495 salary cap charge) this season and $920,000 ($1.142 million) in 2021, his age-25 campaign. For a talent as massive as the former second-round pick, those are almost insulting costs.
From a roster-building perspective, Gallup is coming off a 66-catch, 1,107-yard, six-touchdown season in which 75.76 percent of his receptions resulted in first downs. And, incredibly, five of his six scores came when quarterback Dak Prescott was under pressure, which led the NFL.
Prescott trusts Cooper, certainly, but he also has something special with Gallup. Throw in Lamb, perhaps the best wideout in a historically deep class, and the Cowboys instantly become the nightmare of opposing defensive coordinators. A true monster, rivaling the championship-collecting 1990s squads.
Would it be worth it to erase a massive team strength in exchange for unknown, unproven, future draft picks? The answer is a resounding “NO.”
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Cowboys Told to ‘Consider’ Trading Offensive Star Before 2020 Season