Outside of Dak Prescott’s contract situation, the Cowboys elite receiving corps was the main story of their 2020 offseason.
Despite having holes on the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys decided to draft Oklahoma star receiver CeeDee Lamb in the first round. Added to an already dynamic duo of Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, Lamb fit in perfectly during his rookie season. But while Cooper and Lamb steal the headlines, Michael Gallup looked to take another step during his third season as well.
Gallup, often the forgotten man of this offense of sorts, has shown flashes of brilliance since he was drafted. Gallup has become the Cowboys main deep ball threat, with his aggressiveness and strength at the catch point making him a dangerous receiver on those 50/50 balls.
There was some concern that he may get lost in the shuffle due to Lamb’s emergence in the Cowboys offense, but Gallup still totaled 105 targets last season.
For his final raw tally in 2020, Gallup caught 59 passes for 843 yards and 5 touchdowns. So while he was third in targets behind Lamb and Cooper, he was actually tied for first in touchdowns. This speaks to the red zone threat he’s become, once again attributed to his body control, hands, and strength on those contested catches.
Gallup’s biggest game of the year came against the rival Eagles in December. Philadelphia matched up cornerback Michael Jacquet with Gallup, focusing more attention on Amari Cooper on the other side. Dalton attacked this advantage for the Cowboys to the tune of 121 yards and two touchdowns for Gallup on the day.
This is the luxury of having as many dynamic targets as the Cowboys have. Few teams have a number one cornerback that can truly match up with Amari Cooper, so you can forget about having the depth to deal with Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup.
Because of the talent level in the Cowboys receiving room, it feels like Gallup is constantly in trade rumors for defensive impact players. Ultimately, whether or not the Cowboys believe they will extend Gallup should determine if he is truly trade-able, but it would take a lot for me to move on from such a weapon in the passing game.
You have to be able to throw the ball effectively to win football games (duh), and keeping Gallup as a part of this trio gives the Cowboys their best chance at outscoring opponents.
He may not be the reliable fantasy option that Cooper is, or have the star power that Lamb has, but Gallup is a vital piece to this Cowboys offense.
