Mike McCarthy to give Michael Gallup 'more opportunities' this season
Coming off of a major ACL injury for the 2022 season, last year was undoubtedly a disappointing one for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup. The team needed him to step up after the Amari Cooper departure but unable to play at 100%, he recorded the fewest yards of his career so far.
Despite the drop in production, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is looking to give the former third-rounder more opportunities, not less, this season.
“He just wants to have a healthy season,” McCarthy said on Thursday after an OTA practice. “He looks good. This is really the first time he’s had a full offseason program. He’s very important. I don’t think there’s much he hasn’t been able to show us, I think it’s about opportunities. Giving him more opportunities inside.
“He’s been pretty much an exclusive X receiver here but we feel he can do more. We’re not really in that mode right now but once we get through the install phase, we’ll start to add and subtract.”
He posted 39 receptions on 74 targets, totaling 424 yards and four touchdowns. In 2019, Gallup was able to accumulate over 1,000 receiving yards, so the Cowboys know when he’s on, he’s on.
Not to rely too heavily on Gallup’s comeback alone to improve the offense in 2023, the Cowboys also added talented veteran Brandin Cooks to the mix. The Cooks addition, plus increased production from Gallup and Jalen Tolbert, gives Dak Prescott a much more reliable group alongside CeeDee Lamb.
Gallup getting his groove back
Michael Gallup got real about his 2022 season this week. He admitted it was one of the biggest challenges he’s faced so far, but he is finally starting to feel like himself again.
“Last year at this time I couldn’t walk,” Gallup said, via DallasCowboys.com. “We’re moving though. I got a couple of days under my belt. I was out there catching balls with Dak. I feel springy again, I feel good. It’s way different.”
The former Colorado State star tore his ACL in Week 17 of the 2021-22 season. Though he was able to make a relatively fast recovery to help Dallas to a second straight playoff run, Gallup says he was “thinking too much.”
“You go out there, you want to play like you always play,” Gallup said. “You know how you’re supposed to play. That didn’t happen for me last year. I was thinking too much. My knee was feeling sore and it was just different.”
Despite a couple of down years in production, Gallup is heading into the 2023 season “very confident.”
“I’m very confident I’ll feel like that guy again,” he said. “Very confident. It just feels different. It’s kind of in the air. I smile every time I walk in that facility.”