Getty Images Wide receiver Michael Gallup of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys are not sure when Michael Gallup will be back on the field but are confident that he’s on the right track.
Gallup tore his ACL on January 2 and had surgery to repair the injury on February 10. He inked an extension with the Cowboys in the offseason and is expected to be a large part of the passing game when he returns alongside CeeDee Lamb.
Head coach Mike McCarthy gave an update on Gallup at practice on Tuesday, expressing that the team feels good about where he’s at.
“You know how this fourth quarter goes in the rehab,” McCarthy said, per Pro Football Talk. “All I can tell you is when we have the meeting every morning, (associate athletic trainer) Britt Brown is obviously running the rehab, and he feels real good about Michael’s progress as far as his timeline and so forth. He hasn’t had any setbacks, and I hope we will continue to be blessed with that process. He’s doing really well.”
Cowboys Holding Out Hope for Early Return for Gallup
The Cowboys have yet to place Gallup on the active/physically unable to perform list, which would mean that he’d miss at least the first four games. It’s still a possibility, but for the meantime, it’s a positive sign.
Gallup has been clear that he has no plans to play in the Cowboys’ opener on September 11.
“That’s not a reasonable possibility,” Gallup told reporters in July. “I can do a whole lot now, we out here running. I feel the wind in my face again, but still got a little bit of work.”
The Cowboys haven’t shared a clear timeline for Gallup’s return but he did run routes on August 18.
“Man, it felt great,” Gallup told the Dallas Morning News. “First time in a long time.”
Cowboys Need Gallup to Beef Up Wide Receiver Corps
Gallup inked a five-year, $62.5 million extension in March, earning $27 million in guarantees, which included a $10 million signing bonus. Prior to the ACL tear, Gallup missed time with a strained left calf, finishing with 35 catches for 445 yards and two touchdowns in eight games.
He is one of Dak Prescott’s favorite targets, with more than 100 balls coming his way in 2019 and 2020, notching nearly 2,000 yards during that span.
The Cowboys need Gallup back in a hurry to help gobble up targets, with limited experience behind Lamb. James Washington was added in the offseason to provide some depth but suffered a foot fracture in camp that will sideline him for the start of the year. The team has not been eager to add a veteran to the roster.
Noah Brown, Jalen Tolbert, Simi Fehoko, Dennis Houston, KaVonte Turpin, Brandon Smith and T.J. Vasher have been relied on to pick up the slack and quarterback Dak Prescott has embraced working with the inexperienced group.
“This is exactly about that time to work and make other guys step up, take advantage of their opportunity,” Prescott said. “Who knows, hopefully not, but there may be times that those guys aren’t available and we’ve got to know what we’re working with. Those guys have got to know what I expect of them and how they expect me to throw the ball. So that’s all good things to be worked on.”
The Cowboys wrap up the preseason on Friday against the Seattle Seahawks.