Cowboys' Dak Prescott: Michael Gallup of old returning

The Dallas Cowboys made a handful of key moves on offense last offseason. Those decisions included trading veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns and signing wide receiver Michael Gallup to a five-year, $57.5 million contract despite suffering a torn ACL at the end of the 2021 NFL season.

Gallup’s recovery forced him to miss the first three games of 2022, and after that he never seemed to get into rhythm. Has he finally turned a corner? Early signs are good.

Gallup told ESPN on Friday that he feels “back,” while quarterback Dak Prescott talked about how the 27-year-old is back to being the player he was before the injuries.

“Just for him to go into this offseason, get his body right, and now he’s starting to get back to who Michael Gallup is and feel, I think what you just saw is a couple of plays right there of him doing that back-to-back.” . Prescott said. “But he’s a guy I have a lot of confidence in. I know who he is and more importantly how he works and comes to work every day to get better. He’s putting his feet under him and he’s going to get better.”

In the 14 games he appeared in last season, Gallup totaled just 39 receptions for 424 yards (a career-low 10.9 yards per reception) and four touchdowns. Gallup has spent his entire five-year NFL career in Dallas. His most productive season came in 2019, when Gallup totaled 1,107 receiving yards at 16.8 yards per reception.

Since trading for Cooper, the Cowboys have seen CeeDee Lamb become their undisputed No. 1 receiver and a Pro-Bowler in each of the last two seasons. This offseason, Dallas lost its No. 2 and No. 3 pass catchers from last season — tight end Dalton Schultz and wide receiver Noah Brown — but also acquired veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans, with whom the outgoing Cowboys ironically signed.

Gallup sees himself becoming a key piece to the Cowboys’ passing attack once again with a healthy offseason under his belt.

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to be that guy, for sure,” Gallup said. “Very safe. It feels different. It’s like air. I’m not going to lie to you. It puts a smile on my face every time I walk into this facility.”

Dallas is coming off a 12-5 season that reached the NFC divisional round before losing to the San Francisco 49ers.

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