The Dallas Cowboys took a major risk last offseason when they traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. They had some salary cap issues but were banking on Michael Gallup being able to return to form quickly.
Gallup has shown some really good potential early in his career, but he suffered an ACL tear near the end of the 2021 season. That led to a tumultuous offseason full of rehab, but he was able to get back on the field less than a year after the injury. Unfortunately, he wasn’t close to the same player.
2022 was a struggle for Gallup despite there being a huge void behind CeeDee Lamb in the pecking order for targets. He played in 14 games, catching 39 passes for 424 yards and four touchdowns.
While he was cleared to return to the field, Gallup was very clearly not himself. The Cowboys’ offense suffered as a result, but there is optimism that will change this year. Now more than a year removed from the injury and able to focus on improving his craft not rehabbing, Gallup is ready for 2023.
“[Last year] I was thinking too much,” Gallup said Wednesday, via 105.3 The Fan. “My knee was feeling sore, and it was just different. Last year at this time, I couldn’t walk. It’s different now. I feel springy again. It just feels different. It’s kind of like in the air. I’m smiling every time I walk in that facility.”
While it was certainly admirable for Gallup to return to the field only nine months after his injury, it hindered his performance. Without Gallup playing to the level the team had become accustomed to him playing at, it was Noah Brown who was the second-leading scorer with 43 receptions for 555 yards and three touchdowns.
With Brown moving on in free agency, signing with the Houston Texans, and tight end Dalton Schultz joining him, the Cowboys passing offense is missing a lot of production. Dallas did acquire Brandin Cooks from Houston in an offseason trade, which Gallup said has provided a boost to the franchise.
“[Cooks] is just bringing knowledge to the whole group, and we love him in there,” Gallup said. “I ain’t going to lie to you: He has been in there every day, working, just trying to win. That’s all he wants to do is just win, and he wants to do it as a group. He’s a great addition.”
The addition of Cooks will take pressure off of Gallup, who remains confident that he can be the same player he was before the injury. If he is able to return to form, along with Cooks continuing to play at a high level, what was a weakness for the Cowboys last season would become a strength behind Lamb.
