Last fall amidst the breakout we were witnessing from Michael Gallup, Amari Cooper let it be known that the Dallas Cowboys didn’t have a wide receiver one and a wide receiver 2. Instead, Cooper shared last season that they had a wide receiver 1a and wide receiver 1b. And that’s pretty much how the season played out as Gallup recorded his first 1,000-yard receiving season and led the Dallas Cowboys in yards per reception.
Some of the timing issues between he and Dak Prescott that had reared its ugly head during Gallup’s rookie season were resolved and Gallup became an excellent weapon for the Dallas Cowboys last season. Now, after having spent their first-round pick on CeeDee Lamb, many have wondered where that leaves Michael Gallup in the hierarchy. Head Coach Mike McCarthy spent time yesterday’s press conference sharing his enthusiasm for Michael Gallup heading into his third season.
The Cowboys are in one of the best situations in the NFL with their wide receiver group. They have Amari Cooper who, despite injuries has had four 1,000 yard seasons in his five-year career. They have CeeDee Lamb who was arguably the best wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft. And they have Michael Gallup who was highly thought of as a third-round pick in 2018 and even more so now after his breakout 2019 season.
In 2019, Michael Gallup was fourth in the NFL in yards per reception (16.8) among wide receivers with at least 90 targets per Pro Football Focus. Gallup was also sixth in yards per reception after the catch (5.0) among that same wide receiver group. When you combine those two numbers it lets you know that Gallup was not only making plays down the field, but he was making plays once the ball was in his hands. Only two receivers in the NFL averaged more than 16 yards per reception and five or more yards per reception after the catch; Stefon Diggs and Michael Gallup.
Obviously, Michael Gallup is a beneficiary of Amari Cooper’s presence on the other side of the field. And at the same time, Cooper, and the rest of the offense will be helped by Gallup’s emergence. Teams will struggle with where to deploy their defensive resources with Michael Gallup as big a threat to beat them down the field as Cooper.
Though drops were certainly a problem last year, he has some elite company in the top ten with him. Among players with at least 90 targets Mike Evans, Julian Edelman, Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, Odell Beckham Jr., and Cole Beasley joined Gallup at the top of the drop rate rankings per Pro Football Focus.
There’s always something NFL players can work on, especially players entering their third NFL season. Michael Gallup is a player on the rise and a player that will have the Cowboys thinking long and hard about an extension in the next year and a half. Though the salary cap is expected to take a hit in 2021, after the new TV money kicks in for the 2022 season, there is a way for the Cowboys to keep their wide receiver trio intact. At just 24 years old, Gallup hasn’t even entered the prime of his career as a wide receiver.
