The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers to letting players walk in free agency. Just in the last two weeks, they've said goodbye to mainstays Jourdan Lewis and DeMarcus Lawrence, as well as leading rusher Rico Dowdle.
Releasing players is not something this team is accustomed to. While Dallas has played that card with franchise greats like DeMarcus Ware and most recently Ezekiel Elliott, it is usually a last resort for aging or declining players on expensive contracts to preserve cap space.
That was exactly the case with Michael Gallup, who was released last March following a six-year tenure with the organization. Gallup caught on with the Raiders a few months later and was expected to compete for the WR3 job, but he abruptly retired right before training camp.
Gallup has since un-retired and Dallas will now face him twice next season after he signed a one-year pact with Dan Quinn and the Commanders. It's a weird transition for Gallup and he got brutally honest about what it was like being released.
Michael Gallup opens up on Cowboys release after signing with Commanders
"There's a lot of meat on that bone," Gallup said, via our friends over at Riggo's Rag. "I gotta get back. I just feel like the way I was let go after being in one place for so long, and then jumping onto another team and not being able to process. Trying to process that, it was just too fast for me. And I wasn't there yet ..."
Gallup also said he "wasn't in the right head space" when he retired, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. The ex-Cowboy revealed that he knew when he retired that he wanted to play football again.
It was obvious to everyone that Gallup needed to be released. However, it is often lost what players themselves go through when teams move on. In most cases, players are being paid to not play for the team anymore. One can only imagine what that does to an athlete's headspace. It clearly did a number on Gallup.
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Yes, Gallup now plays for one of the Cowboys' biggest rivals, and one of the best teams in the conference, but it is hard not to root for his continued success. He was unanimously adored by teammates and media members raved about his character throughout his time in Dallas.
It's been some time since Gallup was able to put together a strong season. His ACL injury derailed what was once a highly promising career. If he can rediscover just some of his 2019 and 2020 form, he'll not only make Washington's 53-man roster, but he'll carve out a key role in Kliff Kingsbury's offense.
We'll be rooting for him every step of the way.