Michael Gallup tore the ACL in his left knee on January 2. The passing of his physical yesterday allows him to be removed from the physically unable to perform list (PUP), meaning he will start the season on the 53-man roster—a massive win for the Cowboys.
If Gallup had opened the regular season on the list, he wouldn’t have been available to play before week five. When Dallas cut its roster to 80 players last week, I touched on Gallup’s chance to stay off the list and come back sooner rather than later.
Around a month ago, he told reporters that playing week one was not in the cards, but Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan yesterday that if week one were the Super Bowl, Gallup would likely be cleared to play. “He’s that ready,” Jones said.
Gallup signed a five-year extension on March 13, right after Amari Cooper was dealt to Cleveland.
Keep your eye open for a Gallup sighting in week two, but if I am being realistic, week three on Monday Night Football against the Giants is when I expect to see him. The Cowboys will ease him into the game plan and make sure they have him back to normal for the home stretch around November and December.
Gallup has 2,902 yards since he came into the league in 2018. His Sophomore season has been his best to date, registering 1,107 yards and six touchdowns.
His torn ACL cut his season short last year, and even with CeeDee Lamb being drafted in 2020, Gallup still found a way to be productive. He had nearly 500 yards in the nine games he played last year before the injury.
As I noted last week, Gallup was seen running routes and catching passes from Dak Prescott following the joint practices with the Chargers on August 18. Passing a physical and playing in a regular season game are two different beasts, but it is a step in the right direction.
A bonus to all this is that he can practice all he wants with the passing. If he were to start on the list, he wouldn’t have been able to do that much; this gets him as much work in as possible. Well-needed help in the WR room is on the horizon.