Dallas Cowboys: This player could be the Cowboys number one receiver

The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of veteran wide receivers on their roster, but a rookie could emerge as the team’s number one receiver.

The Dallas Cowboys cut ties with long time, emotional wide receiver Dez Bryant in April. Once upon a time, Dez was the considered the best wideout in the NFL. Depending on who you talked to or received you daily NFL news from, Dez was definitely an elite top-three receiver in the league for several seasons.

When Dez was unceremoniously released from the Cowboys, the fan base took to social media to show their discontent, displeasure, and to criticize owner Jerry Jones for another mishap.

Although Dez was no longer the All-Pro wideout (2014: 88 receptions, 1320 receiving yards, 15 yards a reception, and led all wide receivers with 16 touchdowns), the Dallas Cowboys were definitely without their franchise leader in touchdown receptions.

Simply put, Dez had become a shell of himself as a Pro Bowler. Never known as a great route runner, Dez started dropping passes on a routine basis and got manhandled by average defensive backs. Combine that with his emotional baggage and Jerry had to let him go.

And ever since Dez’s release, the Cowboys’ receiving corps has been viewed as its weakest link.

The Dallas Cowboys receiving corps have a collection of rookies, former practice squad members, injury-prone players, mediocre receivers, and savvy, talented veterans.

Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson (rookies), Allen Hurns (injury-prone with potential), Deonte Thompson and Terrance Williams (average), Noah Brown and Lance Lenior (practice squad players), and Cole Beasley and Tavon Austin ( savvy, talented veterans).

But out of all of those receivers, Gallup is the one making the most noise in training camp and coaching staff have high hopes for the rookie. If Gallup keeps this up, can the raw rookie become the Cowboys number one receiver?

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Look, I’ll be the first to admit that he’s yet to play a down in an NFL game, so I’m not predicting any Pro Bowl invites just yet. However, if he can be consistent and make exciting plays…well the Cowboys could have a budding number one receiver on their hands.

The coaches like how Gallup is picking up the offense, they love his smooth route running, the way he moves, the way he pushes off the line of scrimmage, his size, and his speed.

The coaching staff is raving about the performance he has put on during the offseason program and they can see the results already. The coaches believe his work ethic will enhance his receiving skills.

As I watched Gallup in training camp, he is catching passes with ease, creating separation, being physical and winning on the 50/50 balls. This is really good news for the Dallas Cowboys receiving corps because the expectations are low with this group.

If Gallup can come and play like a Day one starter, it will jump-start the offense and make it one of the best in the league, if not the best with Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield.

For instance, if Gallup can play beyond expectations, he will open up the deep routes for Thompson/Austin, and Hurns can benefit too from single coverage. Add Beasley’s precise route running to the mix, and quarterback Dak Prescott will have a field day picking apart opposing defenses.

The key is for Dallas to have a receiver step up their game and make defenses pay for stacking the box. Or have a legitimate collection of receivers who can dominate in the passing game.

To put Gallup’s ability into perspective, the rookie is taking reps with the first team offense. On his first day of padded practice, he had an outstanding day, receiving praise from everyone. On the second day, he came back to earth as he had some dropped passes, and ran the wrong routes.

But Gallup bounced back and has been impressive ever since. Veteran wideout and fellow teammate Hurns is one of them. “I’ve been very impressed,” Hurns said, via the Dallas Morning News. “Since he’s come in, he’s been making plays non-stop.”

That’s all the Dallas Cowboys offense needs is for Gallup to continue to make plays non-stop and find his way into the end zone. When he does that, he will definitely be the team’s number one receiver.

• Published on 08/02/2018 at 08:00 AM
• Last updated at 08/02/2018 at 19:16 PM