Michael Gallup News

Recovering from offseason knee and ankle clean-up procedures, Gallup's restructure creates roughly $7 million in cap space for the Cowboys. Gallup had a disappointing 2022, catching just 39 passes for 424 yards and four touchdowns and averaging a career-low 10.9 yards per catch after tearing his ACL the previous year.

Gallup picked up a left ankle injury during the 2021 opener and then suffered a torn ACL in his left knee Week 17 of that same season, which delayed his debut to Week 4 of the most recent campaign. He proceeded to play in every game thereafter, compiling a 44-470-5 line on 83 targets in 16 games, including two playoff contests. Now with a pair of surgeries on his other leg, Gallup again will embark on a rehab effort with the aim to be health for the 2023 season. He just completed the first year of a five-year extension, making he and CeeDee Lamb the top wide receivers for the Cowboys offense, barring offseason additions to the position group.

The fifth-year wideout missed the first three games of the season while completing his recovery from ACL surgery, but given the disappointing numbers he ended up posting, it looks like the Cowboys may have rushed him back too soon. Gallup managed fewer yards in 2022 than he did the year before despite playing in five more games, and his only real impact came during a brief two-game stretch in Weeks 11 and 12 -- he set his season high for yards with 63 against the Giants, then followed that performance up with two TDs against the Colts. He did manage a 5-46-1 line on six targets in the wild-card win over the Buccaneers, but in general the 26-year-old never regained his pre-injury form, and never got on the same page as Dak Prescott -- Gallup's average yards of separation and catch percentage both ranked in the bottom 12 in the NFL. He still has four more years left on the contract he signed last offseason, and a fairly significant dead cap hit in 2023 if he were to be cut loose, so Gallup should be back in Dallas next season. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him bumped down the depth chart by a significant offseason addition, however, as the front office looks to give CeeDee Lamb more reliable help.

It was a shockingly bad performance from Dak Prescott and the entire Dallas offense in the regular-season finale, and the team's depth wideouts behind CeeDee Lamb were dragged down by their QB's struggles. Gallup hasn't topped four catches or 40 receiving yards since Week 12 but somewhat salvaged his fantasy value with three TDs over the last six games, making him a risky option in Monday's wild-card clash with the Buccaneers.

Gallup put together a serviceable night overall, but recent arrival T.Y. Hilton continued to poach some of the former's downfield role by producing a 4-50 line on five targets and recording a 28-yard grab along the way. Hilton's experience and fresh legs could continue to allow him to carve out more snaps at Gallup's expense, but further clarity may be gleaned on that front from their respective usage in a Week 18 road matchup against the Commanders a week from Sunday.

Gallup checked in third in receptions and targets on the afternoon while also recording his fourth touchdown of the season on a 12-yard grab late in the third quarter. Gallup has new competition for downfield work in veteran T.Y. Hilton, who tallied a 52-yard gain on his one catch in his team debut Saturday, but he should continue to hold down a solid complementary role in Thursday's favorable Week 17 road matchup against the Titans.