Cowboys need more from WR Michael Gallup throughout the rest of the season

The Cowboys need more from their outside wide receiver if they want to elevate offensively.

The Dallas Cowboys are averaging 210 passing yards per game throughout their first six games of the season. This ranks them just 20th across the league. This is a drastic drop-off from where the team stood under former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. There are clearly problems involving the Mike McCarthy offense in Dallas, one of the main ones this season is WR Michael Gallup.

Gallup faced criticism last season after producing just 424 receiving yards on 39 receptions. While the Cowboys had hoped for more production from their WR2 who they had just signed to a long-term extension, Gallup deserved some leniency as he was recovering from the season-ending knee injury he suffered the season prior. However, heading into this season, Gallup was expected to get back to his pre-injury form. Over the last several weeks, it has felt like the Cowboys have gotten the same Gallup they saw in 2022.

Gallup has contributed 18 receptions for 204 yards and zero touchdowns through the first six games of the 2023 season. Notably, he had a very poor outing against the Los Angeles Chargers in week six. In a game where QB Dak Prescott shined by completing 21 of his 30 passing attempts, seven of those incompletions came when targeting Gallup. Gallup was targeted ten times throughout the game, leading the team in targets, while still only catching three of them. One of the best passes of the season from Prescott came in the second quarter when he targeted Gallup in the end zone. The play resulted in a drop and the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal.

The hardest pill to swallow when it comes to the Michael Gallup situation is that it feels as if the Cowboys chose paying him over keeping former Cowboys WR Amari Cooper. Cooper has continued to show he is a WR1 in the NFL, being very productive for the Cleveland Browns since he arrived.

If the Cowboys want to improve offensively as they near the halfway point of the season, it is imperative that they receive more production from Gallup. The team continues to lack big-play ability from wide receivers outside of CeeDee Lamb.

It is noteworthy that although the Cowboys did sign Gallup to a multi-year contract extension in March of 2022, there is a potential out in his contract in the 2024 offseason if the Cowboys decide to take it. If Gallup is unable to get things going the rest of the season, it could be his final year as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.