Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup has lived in the shadows of his teammates so far through his young NFL career. First it was the trade for Amari Cooper. Then it was CeeDee Lamb getting the star treatment. That’s just life for an unheralded third-round draft pick from Colorado State. But he’s beginning to enter national consciousness as he builds a nice resume for himself.
The easiest way to get some attention as a receiver is to be productive on deep passes. After all, these are the plays that end up on highlight reels on halftime shows and spread on the internet. It also just happens to be what Gallup does best and according to NFL.com, he ranks No. 2 in the league at it:
Gallup leads the NFL in total go routes run with 71, and ranks third in the league in yards gained on deep receptions with 190 (on just nine total deep targets). Each of those 190 yards have been gained on go routes, with Gallup catching five of nine targets on such routes. Gallup has found the end zone on a deep target once this season, all while existing in a receiving corps that also includes Amari Cooper and rookie CeeDee Lamb, proving his ability to carve out a niche for himself among stellar teammates.
It’s fair to wonder if this type of production will decrease now that Dak Prescott is out for the season, but Gallup’s best play of 2020 came after Prescott departed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, when backup Andy Dalton lofted a perfectly placed pass to Gallup with the game’s result hanging in the balance.
MICHAEL GALLUP, ARE YOU KIDDING?!😱
— PFF (@PFF) October 11, 2020
Andy Dalton finds Michael Gallup down the sideline on a go route for 38 yards to set up a Cowboys game-winning field goal.
Air Distance: 48.3 yards
Receiver Separation: 0.3 yards
Sideline Distance: 0.3 yards➤ Completion Probability: 15.7%#NYGvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/cxMMWYn5aL
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 11, 2020
It’s unlikely he’ll ever be a true household name, the kind of player that gets commercials that run on Sundays. Things like that often require leading the league in receptions and targets, something he’s unlikely to do given his present situation. Gallup doesn’t rank within the top 50 in either of those metrics, but is No. 20 in yards and No. 2 among in yards per catch. On top of that, the advanced metrics at Football Outsiders love him, ranking him No. 10 in DVOA.
So while the casual fan might not be aware of what Gallup does on the field, anyone who knows anything about the Cowboys or football in general can see quite plainly ow dynamic the 24-year-old is on a regular basis.
[vertical-gallery id=656015][lawrence-newsletter]