Cowboys’ Ex-$5 Million Starter in Danger of Being Cut: Analyst

Getty The Cowboys could consider moving on from defensive tackle Neville Gallimore.

The Dallas Cowboys could consider moving on from a veteran defender.

As suggested by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, one Cowboys player who needs an impressive camp to avoid being cut is defensive tackle Neville Gallimore. Knox points out how Gallimore could be the “odd man out” due to being a pricey backup and due to the Cowboys’ deep defensive line rotation.

“However, Gallimore, who is entering the final year of his contract, would be a pricey depth player,” writes Knox. “Releasing him would save $2.7 million in cap space. Simply put, Dallas may not have a spot for Gallimore at that price point. Osa Odighizuwa was a 17-game starter last season, Smith is a roster lock, and the Cowboys re-signed Jonathan Hankins on a one-year, $1.3 million deal this offseason.”

Neville Gallimore is Entering Last Year of Rookie Deal

The fourth-year defensive tackle is entering the final year of his four-year, $4.7 million contract. He’s due to earn $2.7 million in base salary and holds a $3 million cap hit for the 2023 season.

The 26-year-old started nine of his 14 appearances during his rookie season in 2020, appearing in 44% of the defensive snaps. Gallimore followed up that rookie campaign by appearing in 48% of the defensive snaps during his five appearances during the 2021 season.

Gallimore continued to see consistent playing time during his third season in 2022, with a slight dip in his percentage of snaps. He appeared in 37% of the defensive snaps in 16 appearances, posting a career-high 33 tackles and one sack.

However, Gallimore’s biggest enemy may be the Cowboys’ bloated depth along the defensive line. Dallas drafted University of Michigan’s Mazi Smith with a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, ensuring that he’ll be on the 53-man roster during the 2023 season. Outside of the rookie defensive tackle is starter Osa Odighizuwa and backups Johnathan Hankins and Quinton Bohanna.

Why the Cowboys Could Release Neville Gallimore

As Knox argues, retaining cheaper talent at the end of the depth chart may prove to be more beneficial for the Cowboys rather than bringing back Gallimore.

“Dallas has $24.1 million in cap space, so it doesn’t necessarily have to have additional cap space,” writes Knox. “However, the Cowboys will likely look to go cheaper in the back end of their defensive-tackle rotation unless Gallimore proves himself to be invaluable during training camp.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Gallimore posted one of the worst defensive grades of any player at his position last season (36.1) and an even worse 29.9 run defensive grade. For perspective, Gallimore not only has the worst defensive grade and run defensive grade of any Cowboys defender from last season, he had the third-worst defensive grade and second-worst run defensive grade of any defensive tackle with at least 400 snaps.

When also factoring in that Gallimore has a limited ceiling — he’s never posted more than 1.5 sacks in a single season and has just three total sacks in his career — it would make a lot of sense for the Cowboys to simply move on from their former third-round draft pick prior to the start of the season.