The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of their best regular season stretch in decades. They have won 12 games in three straight seasons, the first time they have double-digit winning seasons consecutively since their dynasty in the mid-90s.
Unfortunately, that dynasty is also the last time the Cowboys have played in an NFC Championship Game. They made some ugly NFL history becoming the first team to win 12+ games in three seasons and not make an appearance in a Championship Game, something they are hoping to change in the 2024 season.
Heading into the offseason, Dallas has some clear needs to address on the roster. They can open up a significant amount of cap space by working out extensions with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
NFL News & Rumors: Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys Updates
There will be some changeover on the roster as well, as cap casualties are released every year to clean up the salary cap. Who could fall into that category for the Cowboys this year? Veteran wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup could be on the chopping block in the opinion of Mike Okada of NFL.com.
“The Cowboys are currently projected to be $19.7 million over the cap (second-most in the NFC) and are yet again searching for the right piece(s) to make a run into February. Neither Gallup nor Cooks seem like a fit for the WR2 shoes behind CeeDee Lamb and either/both would save the team money if released. (Gallup would likely need to be a post-June 1 cut.) Hopefully for Dallas fans’ sake, the ‘Boys can find an answer for that glaring WR2 hole in free agency or the draft,” wrote Okada.
The Cowboys were the highest-scoring team in the NFL last season, averaging 29.9 points per game. That is surprising to some as the passing game was heavily reliant on Lamb with Cooks and Gallup not making much of an impact behind him.
NFL News & Rumors: Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys Updates
Cooks caught 54 passes for 657 yards and eight touchdowns while Gallup recorded 43 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns. It would be a bit surprising to see Dallas move on from Cooks, as he has something left in the tank to offer.
But, Gallup has not looked the same since his injury in the 2021 season. The Cowboys took a risk signing him to a five-year, $57 million contract in 2022. He restructured his deal last season to open up cap space and could be released this season to open up more.
Dallas has a major void in the pecking order at wide receiver behind Lamb, but Cooks looks more capable of stepping up than Gallup does. Releasing Gallup to open up funds to find another pass catcher would make sense for the team.
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