As the Cowboys shift from free agency to the draft, let's focus on players who are under contract, with a look back to last year but still focusing on their role for the 2023 season. Today, we'll continue the series with defensive tackle Neville Gallimore.
What Worked: Given that the Cowboys and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn like to routinely rotate defensive linemen frequently, Gallimore got a good bit of runway from the defensive tackle spot. He posted the most tackles he's ever had in a season with 33 to go along with two TFLs, a quarterback hit, a sack, and a pass deflection. He played in 16 games, the most he's ever played in during his three seasons in Dallas, but he also had 16 solo tackles - also another career-high.
Needs Some Work: Though Gallimore had a strong year and played in the most games for a season in his career, he also started just one game in comparison to the four he started in 2021 before being injured or the nine games he started during his rookie season in 2020. The snap count percentage might be slightly deceiving at first glance given that it was at 37%, but he still had a grand total of 403 snaps. The Cowboys made the midseason trade for defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins in order to address their woes in stopping the opposition's running game, thus taking some snaps away from Gallimore.
His Best Work: Gallimore racked up five games of three tackles or more in 2022, but his game in the season finale against the Commanders on the road is where he nabbed a season-high four tackles, three of which were assisted. Conveniently enough, the University of Oklahoma product tallied his only sack of the year against the very same Commanders in Week 4 at AT&T Stadium.
Contract Consideration: The Cowboys selected Gallimore in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, making this season his final year under contract in Dallas. He's due $2.7 million in base salary with a cap hit just shy of $3 million in 2023 before hitting the market at the end of the season.
What's Next: With Hankins back in the fold after resigning this offseason and Osa Odighizuwa also continuing to improve, with the added possibility the Cowboys elect to draft an interior defensive lineman, Gallimore will be a part of a potentially crowded position room. He's played well over the last three seasons and will likely still be a key piece of what the Cowboys want to do upfront, but could face slightly stiffer competition in 2023.
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