New intel on expendable defender will infuriate Cowboys fans
By Jerry Trotta
Several teams around the NFL have gotten a head start in terms of shedding salary before the start of free agency. The Dallas Cowboys, meanwhile, have only added to their foggy cap situation by tagging Tony Pollard, which added $10.09 million to their troubles, meaning they’re now $16 million over the cap.
There’s still plenty of time to fix this, however.
Several players have contracts that can be restructured, including Tyron Smith, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Zack Martin.
The Cowboys have also spoken at length about extending Dak Prescott. Not only would this confirm Dallas’ conviction in their QB, but it would come with significant cap relief as Prescott’s $49.13 million cap hit for 2023 is the third-highest at the position behind Deshaun Watson and Pat Mahomes, respectively.
Of course, the Cowboys could simply cut players to create cap room. Between Ezekiel Elliott, Neville Gallimore, and Jourdan Lewis, they have no shortage of candidates to pair with Prescott’s extension and potential restructures.
However, Dallas reportedly has a differing stance on Gallimore. Per insider Jordan Schultz, Gallimore isn’t expected to be released, as the Cowboys view the former third-round pick as an “ascending player” after a down 2022.
#Cowboys are not expected to release DT Neville Gallimore, sources tell @theScore. Dallas views the 26-year-old Gallimore as an ascending player and has high hopes for him moving forward.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 6, 2023
Cowboys Rumors: Dallas not expected to release Neville Gallimore
It wouldn’t be a Cowboys offseason without multiple rumors surfacing that makes absolutely zero sense. While the team is thin at defensive tackle, you’d be hard-pressed to argue in favor of Gallimore keeping his spot on the roster.
And all of this talk about Dallas viewing Gallimore as an ascending player and someone they have high hopes for sounds misleading. The last time we checked, the Oklahoma product was a healthy scratch for the playoff win against the Buccaneers.
He returned to the lineup the following week vs San Francisco, but played only 20 snaps and had one tackle to show for it.
Additionally, Gallimore was inactive for the Week 7 win against the Lions, and logged eight games with a 35 percent or lower snap share. He never cracked the 50 percent mark, and only broke 40 percent on four occasions.
Are we sure he’ll even make the 53-man roster next season?
Cowboys players inactive tonight vs. Buccaneers: CB Trayvon Mullen (illness), CB Nahshon Wright, WR Jalen Tolbert, NT Quinton Bohanna, DT Neville Gallimore, LB Jabril Cox and No. 3 QB Will Grier.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 16, 2023
Ninety minutes to kickoff. pic.twitter.com/4yEdWKqQtE
It’s not hyperbole to say Gallimore was one of the NFL’s most ineffective interior defenders last season.
His 36.4 player grade ranked 107 out of 112 defensive tackles who played at least 300 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. His 29.7 run-defense grade ranked 136th out of 142 players at the position, and he has three sacks and 26 pressures in 35 career games (513 pass-rush snaps).
Gallimore admittedly wasn’t drafted to be a run-stuffer so make of his rushing grade what you will. He was drafted as a downhill defender who can create pressure, however, and he hasn’t done that at a serviceable level thus far.
The Cowboys can save $2.743 million by cutting Gallimore. While not a ton of money, every penny counts towards the salary cap, and Gallimore has seemingly fallen out of favor in Dan Quinn’s defense.
What gives?
