A heart-breaking loss to a division rival that blunts the momentum from a huge win the previous week makes handing out a game ball tough. The Cowboys had their opportunities against Washington but failed to take advantage. Still https://www.dallascowboysfanshop.com/Joe-Looney-Jersey , we always need to look to the future, and one player seems to be showing signs that his future will be bright. It’s taken some time, and his volume stats are not there yet (more on that in a bit), but he’s starting to give the Cowboys a true deep-threat option. Michael Gallup could be evolving into a playmaker for the Cowboys.Last week against the Jaguars, Gallup had one catch for 27 yards, and just missed out on a second catch that would have been a touchdown if he could have gotten his second foot down instead of bouncing it on top of his other foot. The catch he did have in the Jacksonville game showed his ability to elevate and catch a ball in traffic. That was reminiscent of what Dez Bryant used to do for the team when he was in his prime. When Gallup has one-on-one coverage, Dak Prescott should think more about trusting Gallup to make the play even if there is coverage.Against Washington, Gallup had three catches for 81 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown where he absolutely cooked the defender on a stop-start move. The problem for Dallas is that Dak Prescott doesn’t seem to trust his throws to Gallup enough. Through seven games, Prescott has only targeted Gallup 22 times, about three times a game even though on 10 catches Gallup has averaged 19 yards per catch. Granted, there have been a couple of balls Gallup could have caught that he didn’t, but still, right now he appears to be the Cowboys one big-play threat in the passing game, especially with Tavon Austin sidelined. Prescott did look Gallup’s way five times in the Washington game, so they are starting to build some trust. But Prescott could have avoided his one huge error in the Washington game, and made Gallup’s day monstrous if he would have just trusted his arm and Gallup’s ability.The play we’re talking about is Prescott’s fumble in the end zone when he was was sacked. The play turned into a Washington touchdown, but it could have just as easily been a Cowboys touchdown. During a chat session some of the BTB writers were having during the game, I wrote these words right after that play was complete: “you guys are gonna cry wehn you see Gallup’s route on that play, 6 points if Dak sees him.” (Yes, I know I misspelled “when” in the chat).Here’s the full play:And here is what Prescott was seeing as he gets to the back of his drop on the play.The blue lines represent Dak’s field of vision based on where his head is pointed Mike White Jersey , he has Gallup right in his sights (black circle) and he knows the pattern Gallup is running is a fake to the outside then going straight upfield. He should recognize that the cornerback is in a terrible position for this play. Prescott has to recognize he’s got what he wants here and get ready to fire. The other Washington defenders are not in place to help on the play. The up defender (yellow circle) will never be able to get back in time to help, in fact he never tries. The deep safety (red circle) is just too far over to effectively make a play on a well thrown ball to Gallup. Here’s what we see a second later.Prescott is still looking at that side of the field (blue lines). He has to see that the up defender (yellow circle) can’t make a play, and the deep safety (red circle) is still sitting in the middle of the field. In the black circle, Gallup has made his move and the corner is toast, he’s actually reaching out in a feeble attempt to grab Gallup and slow him down. If Prescott had fired this ball on time, Gallup likely takes it to the house. If somehow the safety makes a saving tackle on him, the Cowboys still convert the third down and are on their way to a score. Michael Gallup is starting to show his ability to be a playmaker for Dallas. The coaching staff needs to recognize that and try to scheme him into as many one-on-one situations as they can. And Dak Prescott needs to recognize it, and trust himself and the receiver. If the Cowboys are looking for someone to stretch defenses vertically, they should start looking to Gallup more often. Tuesday’s trade deadline was not short on excitement as several teams made moves to help improve their ball club. Some of these moves involved acquiring draft picks to help build for the future and some of these moves were made to make an immediate impact. Over in the AFC, the division-leading Houston Texans added former first-round pick Demaryius Thomas to an already strong receiving group that consisted of two other first-round picks, DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller. There were also several key trades over in the NFC, in particular, involving teams in the NFC East. The three teams in the hunt for the division - Washington, Philadelphia, and Dallas all made moves to acquire a former Pro Bowler, whereas the New York Giants are going nowhere and traded one away. Each team was able to snag a good player, but they all came with their own cost. Which team made out the best with their respective trade?Dallas CowboysPlayer: Amari Cooper (first round, 2015)Cost: 2019 first-round pickThe Cowboys went big by trading for the fourth-overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft, Amari Cooper. Dallas has been searching for answers to their abysmal offensive performance this season as the team ranks 26th in the league in points scored.Bringing in Cooper should help spread out the defense. It will open things up for other receivers as well as take some of the pressure off of Ezekiel Elliott. And while the moves the Eagles and Redskins made help their teams this season, the addition of Cooper is a long-term investment.The Cowboys paid a hefty price, but good things come with a cost. Let’s just hope we see early returns on this big investment.Philadelphia EaglesPlayer: Golden Tate (second-round Damien Wilson Color Rush Jersey , 2010)Cost: 2019 third-round draft pickThe Eagles were also making a push for Amari Cooper, but didn’t pony up enough draft capital to close the deal. Instead, they went after nine-year veteran Golden Tate to help spark their offense. After leading the league in scoring last season, the Eagles find themselves ranked 21st in points scored this year. The addition of Tate is going to give Carson Wentz a great weapon to help get them grooving again.It’s painful to say, but Tate is quietly one of the most productive receivers in the league. He’s had 90+ catches in all four of his seasons in Detroit and is on his way to another one this year. He’s eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in three of the last four seasons. He might be on the north side of 30 now, but he’s not showing any signs of slowing down.The downside to this deal for the Eagles is that Tate looks like a one-year rental. He’s bringing in an average salary of $6.2 million and will likely demand something near that again when he hits free agency after the season. The Eagles are projected to be $11 million over the cap and will have to sell off some overpriced contracts again this upcoming offseason, but they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it. Right now, it’s about trying to keep their hopes of a repeat alive. It would be surprising if Tate was in Philadelphia in 2019, but the Eagles did give up a third-round pick for him, which isn’t cheap so it’s too early to presume how they’ll proceed with him in the future. This looks like an all-in move that would sting a little if Philadelphia is not able to make a good run this year or retain him down the road.Washington RedskinsPlayer: Ha Ha Clinton Dix (first round, 2014)Cost: 2019 fourth-round pickThis move may not seem as flashy as the teams getting a good receiver, but the Redskins added a quality defensive back to an already good defense. The Redskins defense is ranked top five in points allowed and now they get 2016 Pro Bowler Clinton Dix.With Josh Norman and Quinton Dunbar holding things down at corner, the addition of Clinton Dix gives them two of the best safeties in the league.While the cost is only a fourth-round pick, Clinton Dix is only under contract through this season. Washington is projected to have $17 million in cap space so they can make room to extend him if that’s the direction they want to go, but for the remainder of the season they can feel good about shoring up a strong safety position group. And for a team that has to face Odell Beckham Jr. and now Amari Cooper and Golden Tate, the added depth in the secondary will come in handy.New York GiantsThe Giants didn’t add any Pro Bowlers. In fact, they gave up one. They traded away defensive tackle Damon Harrison (2016 Pro Bowl) to the Detroit Lions for a 2019 fifth-round pick. That seems like a bargain for the type of player Harrison is, but Detroit will now take on his contract through the 2020 season. The Giants also traded former first-round pick Eli Apple for a couple day three picks (4th in 2019 and 7th in 2020) from the New Orleans Saints.So, to recap....It’s been an eventful week.