Getty The Cowboys could move on from DT Neville Gallimore.
The Dallas Cowboys could consider moving on from one of their key pieces.
As proposed by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Cowboys “must consider” cutting three current players on their roster. Dallas isn’t exactly in an extremely flexible salary cap situation as they’ll be $7.4 million over the salary cap entering the offseason. As Knox mentions, Dallas should consider cutting defensive tackle Neville Gallimore.
Knox argues that while Gallimore was a solid contributor during the 2022 season — he appeared in 37 percent of defensive snaps this season — he’s an expendable piece that could save the Cowboys $2.7 million in 2023.
“The 26-year-old was a solid contributor in 2022, making one start and finishing with 33 tackles and a sack,” says Knox. “However, Gallimore played just 37 percent of the defensive snaps and should not be considered a long-term priority. Furthermore, Gallimore is slated to carry a $3 million cap hit in 2023. Of that, only $240,991 is in dead money. This means that the Cowboys could cut Gallimore outright and save just over $2.7 million in cap space.”
Neville Gallimore Previously Served as Cowboys Starter
Cutting Gallimore will only cost the Cowboys $240,991 in dead cap money.
The 26-year-old has been a key member of Dallas’ defensive line rotation since entering the league in 2020. He actually emerged as a starter during the 2020 season after injuries to Gerald McCoy and Trysten Hill, starting nine of his 14 appearances and playing in 44 percent of defensive snaps. He also appeared in 48 percent of the defensive snaps during the 2021 season.
With that being said, the Cowboys already have their starting defensive tackles in Johnathan Hankins and Osa Odighizuwa and they need money to re-sign key franchise players in Tony Pollard and Dalton Schultz. Dallas could simply use one of their draft picks to acquire Gallimore’s replacement at a cheaper cost.
As Knox stresses, Gallimore is simply not a “significant” piece of the Cowboys’ future.
“Again here, $2.7 million doesn’t represent an extreme saving,” says Knox. “However, that’s a sizeable chunk of cap space for a part-time player who has never played 50 percent of the snaps in a single season. Gallimore is on the younger side, but he’s entering the final year of his current deal and does not figure to be a significant piece of Dallas’ defensive future.”
Gallimore Graded as Cowboys’ Worst Player in 2022
According to Pro Football Focus, Gallimore actually ranked as the Cowboys’ worst-graded player this season, posting a 36.4 defensive grade. That’s pretty substantial considering he saw the second-most snaps of any defensive lineman on the roster. For perspective on how low that grade is, Gallimore ranked 120th of 127 ranked defensive linemen. His run defense grade was even worse at 29.7 and that ranked 136th of 142 defensive linemen.
It’s not as if his 2022 season was a fluke either, considering he posted a 49.8 defensive grade during the 2021 season in five appearances and four starts.
All eyes will certainly be on Ezekiel Elliott and his $16.7 million cap hit for the 2023 season — second-highest of any running back in the league — but cutting Gallimore is a likely scenario for a player that hasn’t performed at a high level despite receiving a decent share of snaps.