Could the Dallas Cowboys Trade Michael Gallup?
The Situation The Dallas Cowboys are treading water at 2-4, but they somehow remain in the mix to win the NFC East. As the trade deadline approaches, it begs the question – Should they be buyers or sellers? There would certainly be many suitors for a dynamic weapon like Michael Gallup. That being said, the […]
The Situation
The Dallas Cowboys are treading water at 2-4, but they somehow remain in the mix to win the NFC East. As the trade deadline approaches, it begs the question – Should they be buyers or sellers?
There would certainly be many suitors for a dynamic weapon like Michael Gallup. That being said, the Cowboys would need to acquire assets at positions of need, and additional draft capital would not hurt either. They already own 9 selections in the 2021 NFL Draft and could look to build on that even further.
The Suitors
Baltimore Ravens
It is no secret that the Ravens are looking to upgrade the wide receiver position for Lamar Jackson’s offense. Baltimore has brought in 31-year-old Dez Bryant for a workout to see if he would be a big body addition to the WR room. Additionally, their name has floated around in Antonio Brown rumors. Alas, they have not formally said they have any interest in him as of now.
Already rostering smaller and quicker targets like Marquise Brown and Devin Duvernay, the team wants a bigger guy for red-zone and jump ball opportunities. At 6’1”, Gallup has shown the skills to be a great downfield target for Dak Prescott over the past couple of years. He certainly fits the bill of what the Ravens are looking for right now.
New England Patriots
The Patriots wide receiver core of Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, and Damiere Byrd is, well, not ideal. There may not be a team, let alone a contender, in the NFL that is more in dire need of a receiving weapon. Michael Gallup would instantly become possibly their most talented receiver at just 24 years old.
From trading for Randy Moss and Wes Welker to trading for Chad Ochocinco, this Patriots trade for a receiver would most likely fall in the middle of those two extremes. Not to mention, New England is projected to have the fourth most cap space in 2021 as of right now. That bodes well for an extension for Gallup if this deal were to happen.
Green Bay Packers
Davante Adams is a bonafide stud. We all know this, but who follows him? Allen Lazard is out indefinitely after a core injury, leaving Marques Valdes-Scantling as the team’s main number two receiver. Other guys on the depth chart include Malik Taylor and Darrius Shepherd, so it’s a spot worthy of an upgrade.
Enter: Michael Gallup. A combo of Adams and Gallup would be quite the duo for Green Bay. Not to mention, they can presumably add Lazard, a big, young target they like, back into the mix later in the year. It is also worth noting that Aaron Rodgers has been more aggressive this season on downfield opportunities, and Gallup would certainly open up even more of those for the veteran.
The Return
Most importantly, what would the Cowboys most likely be getting back for a young weapon like Michael Gallup? The Cowboys should expect to get at least a 2021 2nd round pick in return for Gallup, with possibly even an additional late-round selection in ‘21 or ‘22.
A deal for the Cowboys receiver could mimic a deal from 2007 between the Miami Dolphins and, conveniently enough, the New England Patriots. The Patriots sent the Dolphins a 2nd and 7th round selection in exchange for Wes Welker, who had accumulated just over 1100 yards for Miami over his first two seasons. Gallup piled up 1614 yards over his first two years with Dallas.
Another comparable deal would be another one involving the New England Patriots. The Patriots sent the New Orleans Saints the 32nd overall pick in 2017 for Brandin Cooks. Cooks had been a solid target for the Saints but was looking for a new deal that the Saints were not going to give him due to their focus on addressing other needs. That deal landed them their franchise right tackle in Ryan Ramczyk. Cooks had also eclipsed 1000 receiving yards in his final two seasons in New Orleans, so the price may have been a bit higher than what Gallup’s will be during this deadline.
The Cowboys must decide if they want to deal the young wide receiver for future assets, keep him as a piece for this year while trying to work out an extension with tight cap space, or let him walk after 2021. Trade buzz will continue to swirl around Michael Gallup and other Cowboys as the trade deadline approaches on November 3rd.
Those deadline day trades will certainly be the most impactful decisions made on that day, right?
