Cowboys’ Michael Gallup Avoids PUP, Starts Season on 53-Man Roster

The fifth-year pro, who’s recovering from a torn ACL, is now eligible to play in Week 1.

Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Jan. 2, got encouraging news on Tuesday.

The fifth-year pro passed his team physical and was removed from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, according to Mike Fisher of Cowboys Country. If Gallup had opened the regular season on the PUP list, he wouldn’t have become eligible to play before Week 5.

Gallup now is eligible to play in the season opener, although that timeline probably is optimistic considering that he underwent reconstructive surgery on Feb. 10. Still, Tuesday’s news makes it appear likely that Gallup will return to Dallas’s lineup sometime in the first few weeks of the season.

Indeed, if the stakes were higher in Week 1, he likely would be cleared to play, according to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

“If it was the Super Bowl, he’d be lining up and playing,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. “He’s that ready.”

Gallup is likely to play a larger role following the Cowboys’ trade of Amari Cooper to the Browns in March. Gallup signed a five-year, $57.5 million contract with Dallas that same month.

Gallup has recorded 193 receptions for 2,902 yards with 15 touchdown catches in 55 career games for Dallas. Last season, he registered 35 catches for 445 yards with two touchdowns in nine games.

• Cowboys Country: Jones Leaving Door Open on Gallup Returning Soon for Cowboys 

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