Dallas Loses a Potential X-Factor to Begin 2021 Season
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup is expected to be out until Mid-October (3-5 Weeks) with a calf strain that was sustained early on during Dallas’ game vs Tampa Bay yesterday via CBS Sports.
Gallup’s Impressive Play Since Entering The League
Since entering the NFL as a 3rd Round Draft Pick with Dallas in 2018, Gallup has established himself as a strong #2 WR & potentially a #1 if he were in another organization. Being in a potent Cowboys offense that had predominantly featured Amari Cooper prior to 2019 has certainly helped Gallup in his continued development.
An impressive rookie year in 2018 racking in 33 catches for 507 yards & 2 TDs led to an even better 2019 season which saw Gallup get 66 catches in for 1,107 yards & 6 TDS.
After CeeDee Lamb was drafted in 2020, Gallup put up similar numbers to the flashy rookie (59 catches, 843 yards, 5 TDs) and was expected to have another productive year in 2021 next to Cooper & Lamb for a 2nd straight year.
Dallas hasn’t determined whether they’ll place Gallup on Injured Reserve, which would let Gallup return after 3 weeks. Depending on how long Gallup sits out with his calf injury, it could deter how much money he makes in Free Agency after the 2021 season.
Cowboys Offensive Outlook without Gallup
CeeDee Lamb had an impressive rookie year in 2020, with being just 65 yards short of a 1,000 reception yard season to pair with 5 reception TDs. After Gallup went down yesterday vs Tampa, Lamb had a nice game having 7 receptions for 104 yards & 1 TD. Amari Cooper also had a big time game getting 13 receptions for 139 yards & 2 TD catches.
Dallas’ offense/receiving core as of now is still among the best in the NFL & after putting up big numbers against a big time defense in Tampa Bay, the Cowboys will able to survive without a big part of their offense for a quarter of this season.
To keep such offensive numbers up, albeit after 1 week…the Cowboys run game could prove to be more important/key than it has been in prior years, especially after QB Dak Prescott had 58 pass attempts (completing 42) for 403 pass yards.
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