Dallas Cowboys welcome return of Michael Gallup: “very close”

When wide receiver Michael Gallup suffered a season ending ACL injury on January 2nd of this year, his status for the 2022 season was in legitimate jeopardy. Recovery time from ACL tears range greatly but even the most optimistic of prognoses had a hard time putting Gallup on the field for the Dallas Cowboys in week one.

While insiders always claimed he was on track to make his debut within the first month of the season, doubts remained, and concerns regarding the WR corps grew as Dallas prepared to start the 2022 without three of their top-four WRs from a season ago.

Michael Gallup may be making his Dallas Cowboys 2022 debut this week

After squeaking out a victory with a walk-off field goal against the defending AFC Champs, hope has been restored to an otherwise deflated fanbase. Dak Prescott remains out for the foreseeable future, but other players have stepped up in his stead and made the Cowboys into a fairly competitive team.

there will be a degree of load management in place as the Dallas Cowboys ease Michael Gallup back onto the field

One of such players was fifth-year man out of Ohio State, Noah Brown. Cast as WR2, Brown enjoyed a career day against the Bengals, pulling in five balls for 91 yards and a touchdown. His chemistry with Cooper Rush was undeniable and he was able to take some of the burden off of CeeDee Lamb.

While Lamb was certainly appreciative of Browns help, he’s more excited about the return of Michael Gallup. Calling Gallup’s return “very close” and telling reporters his teammate is “100 yards waiting to happen.”

While nothing is written in stone and Gallup’s return is far from a sure thing this week, those close to the situation remain optimistic. A common theme from all involved with the decision is that there will be a degree of load management in place as the Dallas Cowboys ease Michael Gallup back onto the field.

Playing on a 10-20 play pitch count will prevent the Cowboys from overworking their highest paid WR on staff. It will ease his body back into the rigors of the NFL game and hopefully act in the best interests of his surgically repaired knee.

The threat of Gallup is a significant addition to the Cowboys offense. Even though Brown broke out as a viable option alongside Lamb, doesn’t demand the extra attention from coverages like a healthy Gallup will.

Gallup has always been a big-play weapon for the Dallas Cowboys, regardless of the staff built around him. His comfort playing on the boundary is something the Dallas Cowboys desperately need this year. It will allow CeeDee Lamb more opportunities in the slot, and give Kellen Moore another weapon to scheme in the passing game.

If Michael Gallup make his debut this week, expect him to play a small part on offense. He will be eased in and with any luck, be at full steam by the bye week. In other words, his return is great news but the Dallas Cowboys still need Noah Brown to do the bulk of the lifting at WR2.