FRISCO, Texas — With the immense talent on offense for the Dallas Cowboys, wide receiver Michael Gallup often gets overlooked. Given Amari Cooper’s route-running fluidity and the emergence of CeeDee Lamb during his rookie campaign, Gallup frequently flies under the radar. In 2021, that will likely work to his advantage.
“I think Michael [Gallup] is taking that next step that you look for in young players,” Mike McCarthy described to D210Sports. “We’ve always talked about the second-year jump, sometimes it’s a third-year jump depending on how much playing time and where players are on their climb in this league. I think he is clearing doing it. You are seeing Michael play all four positions. For receiver, he’s primarily been an outside- a No. 1 receiver but we have been putting him inside as much as we possibly can at two and three. He loves it, looks good at it, and he is getting more comfortable, so I see Michael taking a big leap this year.”
McCarthy covets versatile playmakers and Gallup fits the mold. He can line up anywhere along the formation and make an impact, whether that be as a vertical deep threat or on short, intermediate routes with his effectiveness off the line against press coverage. Gallup enters his fourth season with the third most receiving yards (2,457) by any Cowboys’ player through his first three seasons. He runs a go route to perfection and the toe drag king mesmerizes down the sideline with rare body control.
In 11 personnel, Gallup shows flashes of brilliance. The competitive wide receiver room in Dallas has elevated his desire for more between the hash marks. With several playmakers to account and game plan for, defenses cannot key in on No. 13. In addition, if a team risks doubling one of the three receivers, that creates more opportunities for the other two. Gallup discussed the lethal trio on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” earlier this week.
“If Amari goes out there and makes a play at practice, CeeDee is right behind him saying ‘I can do it better.’ Or I’m over here, ‘throw me an eye ball, throw me a fade. Do something.’ I want to make a highlight play as well. We are all competitive, even on the sideline for games. You know somebody has a great game at the time or whatever going into halftime, and we let each other know we are gonna catch each other either way. So, we are definitely competitive. Anything you can do; I can do better.”
With Gallup entering the last year of his contract, the speculation has begun. His future has become a main topic of conversation with the money being allocated to Cooper and eventually to the club’s first-round draft pick in 2020 with Lamb. When asked about his contract on Monday via “Good Morning Football,” Gallup had a simple answer. It is about producing on the field.
“For me, it’s about going out there and helping this club win ballgames and have fun doing it. Obviously, I would love to stay here in Dallas. Love the community, love this city. Love the fans so it’s up in the air.”
He made it abundantly clear he would like to stay with the Cowboys and this season will likely dictate his future with the squad. With an impressive 2021 campaign, Gallup can put himself in position for a payday.
