Michael Gallup missed the Cowboys’ first three regular-season games while recovering from a torn ACL suffered nine months back. In his 16 total games in 2022, he turned in less-than-spectacular performances and appeared to many observers to be underperforming to many observers.
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup missed the first three games of the 2022 season rehabbing from a torn ACL and never got into a groove in the passing game. https://t.co/ahwIUFFYNw
— Fort Worth Star-Telegram (@startelegram) February 1, 2023
Gallup underwent arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday, with doctors doing what was described as a “minimally-invasive meniscus repair and ankle clean-up.” The procedure was performed on Gallup’s right knee and ankle; his previous ACL tear suffered on last year.
During the regular season, the five-year veteran from Colorado State caught 39 balls and scored four touchdowns, finishing with career lows in receiving yards, yards per catch, and yards per game. Gallup never had more than five catches in a game and only once over 50 yards throughout the regular season.
His blazing 4.5-speed and acrobatic contested-catch talents were mostly absent for the majority of the season, leaving him a watered-down danger alongside CeeDee Lamb in a Cowboys offense already short on veteran pass-catchers. Gallup added five additional catches and a score against Tampa Bay in the wild-card round of the playoffs but was shut out the following week against San Francisco.
The receiver, who will be 27 in March, will continue to play a vital role in the team’s passing game. His $11 million basic pay is completely guaranteed for the next season after signing a five-year, $57.5 million contract agreement last summer.
Gallup is expected to “recover in time to participate in some offseason practices with a chance to be fully healthy by the start of training camp,” according to the team. Beyond that, his future in Dallas remains unknown, so a breakthrough in 2023 will be crucial for the former third-round draft pick.
