The Dallas Cowboys have been extremely inactive during the first few days of NFL free agency. It has led to some major criticism following an ugly playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers and owner Jerry Jones’ comments about going “all in” this offseason.
Primarily, Dallas has been the victim of pushing back its salary cap situation every offseason over the past several years. Its ony real notable signing was linebacker Eric Kendricks after he backed out of a deal with the rival San Francisco 49ers earlier in the week.
With that said, cap relief is coming to the Cowboys.
Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News was the first to report on Friday that the Cowboys have released former 1,000-yard receiver Michael Gallup.
Jon Machota of The Athletics also indicates that the Cowboys have moved on from former Pro Bowl linebacker Leighton Vander Esch.
The releases will come with a post-June 1 designation, ultimately saving Dallas $11.7 million against the cap for some moves this coming summer.
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Impact of Dallas Cowboys releasing Michael Gallup, Leighton Vander Esch
An original third-round pick of the Cowboys out of Colorado State back in 2018, Gallup’s breakout season came as a sophomore the following year. He recorded 66 receptions for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns.
This ultimately led to the Cowboys signing him to a five-year, $57.5 million contract extension in March of 2022. That came after he suffered a torn ACL the previous season.
Gallup has not been the same since, averaging 36 receptions for 421 yards in two seasons following the aforementioned ACL injury.
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Dallas has to consider a CeeDee Lamb contract extension this offseason. The same goes for quarterback Dak Prescott and EDGE rusher Micah Parsons. Continuing to take on Gallup’s large cap hit just didn’t make much sense.
The Cowboys will now have to turn their attention to finding more wide receiver help behind Lamb and Brandin Cooks.
As for Leighton Vander Esch, he was a first-round pick of the Cowboys in the 2019 NFL Draft. The linebacker earned a Pro Bowl trip as a rookie, recording 140 tackles and two interceptions.
Injuries have since caught up to him with the former Boise State star missing a combined 29 games over the past five seasons.