Regarding the Dallas Cowboys’ real interest in perhaps moving for Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry, there are contradicting speculations in the NFL trade market. Prior to the trade deadline, Matt Holder of Bleacher Report made five audacious predictions. In one of these interesting proposed trades, Michael Gallup is swapped for Henry.
“While the Dallas Cowboys are expected to be buyers instead of sellers at the deadline and have been loosely linked to Derrick Henry recently, I wouldn’t rule out them using Michael Gallup as a trade pawn,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder detailed on October 28, 2023.
“…It wouldn’t be surprising if the Tennessee Titans would be interested in a 26-year-old wideout who has been productive in the past and is under contract through 2026. So Dallas could use Gallup as a bargaining chip to get someone like Henry and reduce how much draft capital it would have to give up.”
Dallas is more likely to cut Michael Gallup than to find a trade, according to Cowboys news.
The problem is that Gallup’s five-year, $57.5 million contract, which expires in 2026, is probably not something the Titans want to take over. Gallup will now earn $8.5 million in salary in addition to a $13.8 million dead cap hit. Gallup would provide another playmaker for rookie quarterback Will Levis.
For Dallas to have any chance of securing a landing spot, Gallup’s deal would probably need to be partially eaten. Gallup was ineffective even after the Cowboys’ explosive outburst against the Rams in Week 8, managing only two receptions for 20 yards.
Gallup has 20 catches for 224 yards through the first eight weeks of the season, but he still needs a score. Owner Jerry Jones has already taken notice of Gallup’s season-opening performance and openly chastised the veteran.
The most likely scenario is that Dallas cuts the receiver during the offseason if Gallup does not make a change in his performance. Gallup’s departure would result in a $13 million dead cap penalty for the Cowboys, but they still have an out in his contract.
NFL Trade Rumors: Titans Speculating About Potential Deal for Derrick Henry
The Titans have conflicting opinions on trading Henry, depending on whose NFL reports you read. According to Peter King of NBC Sports, the Titans are playing down trade talks involving Henry. The veteran NFL writer speculates that Tennessee would trade Henry for a second-round draft pick.
Titans running back Derrick Henry is the lone genuine star available who makes sense for both the trader and the tradee out of all the players who could be moved this week, according to King’s October 30 analysis. The Titans informed Henry they wouldn’t be trading him before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline, according to information Adam Schefter revealed over the weekend. That may be accurate, but it is meaningless. It’s also an excellent way for Baltimore and Dallas, two interested clubs, to hear from Titans general manager Ran Carthon, saying, “If you want him, you better pony up because we intend to keep him.”
Cowboys Rumor: Dallas Has Not Called the Titans Regarding the Trade of Derrick Henry
According to current Cowboys speculations, the front staff is considering trading for Henry. That is, at least, Jerry Jones and company’s public position.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Cowboys have not contacted Henry. Similarly, Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated pointed out that Dallas is not looking to move Henry.
“The Dallas Cowboys as of this moment are ‘not pursuing’ Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, sources tell CowboysSI.com, with one NFL source telling us, ‘That seems more of a media idea than it is a Dallas idea,’” Fisher explained on October 28.
“…Cowboys Nation surely hopes Dallas has done its research on Henry and on the Titans thoughts on moving him. And we are careful to note how things might change in the coming hours; what if Tennessee offers him up for a nothing pick and a proposal in which the Titans pay some of the salary freight?
“But right now? Derrick Henry is not at all a front-burner target for the Dallas Cowboys.”