During the NFL offseason, we saw multiple former Dallas Cowboys sign elsewhere to continue their careers.
Some of these former Cowboys (Demarcus Lawrence and Jourdan Lewis) signed huge deals in free agency with their new teams. Meanwhile, other ex-Cowboy players (Trey Lance and Rico Dowdle) picked up one-year deals as they try to establish or boost their value.
Former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup falls into the second category as he came out of retirement to sign a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders in March.
Gallup surprisingly retired from the NFL last summer after six seasons with the Cowboys. The veteran wideout signed a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders last year, but never played a regular-season single snap.
The veteran dealt with his share of injuries in Dallas, including a torn ACL, cutting his 2021 season short. However, he’s getting a fresh start with Dan Quinn, who was in the building with him in Dallas.
On paper, it's a low-risk, high-reward move for the Commanders, who could use another depth veteran pass catcher with Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus departing in free agency.
That said, the veteran receiver did not participate in OTAs and mandatory minicamp because of a strained hamstring.
This isn’t ideal for the former Cowboys receiver, as he could’ve used the additional reps to build momentum, especially with Noah Brown getting carted off the field.
Instead, without Gallup on the field, it has allowed second-year receiver Luke McCaffrey and Lane to create that buzz heading into training camp. We also can’t forget about another veteran wide receiver – Chris Moore, who was considered a standout from OTAs.
The former Cowboys receiver is likely thankful to be given another opportunity to prove himself after stepping away from football last year. However, Gallup has a lot of work to do in training camp and preseason to make the 53-man roster.