From the moment he was drafted in the third round of the 2018 draft, wide receiver Michael Gallup became a fan favorite among Cowboys Twitter.
Fans had been salivating over his college highlights all Spring, hoping that the team would find a way to snag him on day of the draft, and give Dak Prescott a much needed receiving weapon.
Gallup stepped onto the scene and made an impact immediately, becoming Prescott’s favorite deep threat. He’s totaled over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns over his first three seasons, and is the somewhat forgotten star on a loaded Cowboys offense.
He also enters the 2021 season with a giant question mark hanging over him. Michael Gallup’s rookie deal will expire after this season, making him an unrestricted free agent. And a coveted one to be sure.
Playing alongside Amari Cooper in 2019, Gallup was able to have a breakout season with the Cowboys. Now that the Cowboys offense can deploy both Cooper and second year stud CeeDee Lamb, the team will be faced with a decision around Gallup’s future.
With Dak Prescott signing his extension earlier this week, and other holes across the roster that the team will need to throw some money at to fix, you have to wonder if Gallup has become a luxury option for the Cowboys.
Do they really need a third wide receiver as good as Michael Gallup? Can they get away with a receiver room of Cooper, Lamb, Cedrick Wilson and a rookie? 
Probably. But purposely weakening your passing attack seems like a questionable move to make in today’s NFL. Winning in this league is becoming more and more about passing efficiency, so why let a proven commodity walk out the door if you don’t have to?
At the same time, it’s worth noting that Gallup was a third round pick. Each and every year it seems like we are being told how great the upcoming wide receiver class is, and that’s for good reason. It’s becoming easier to find polished and/or physically gifted receivers from the college game. It’s likely the Cowboys could let someone else pay Gallup a massive salary, and replace him with a similarly skilled player with another day two draft pick.
I know it’s hard for fans to let their talented players go sometimes, but this could be the smartest move roster-building wise.
The real question mark that’s left for the Cowboys?
If they don’t expect to re-sign him, should the Cowboys be using Michael Gallup as a trade piece?
