Dallas Cowboys' Michael Gallup Looks Awful; Do ESPN Stats Back 'Eye Test'?

The Dallas Cowboys' passing offense has seen some struggles this season. Receiver Michael Gallup deserves a sizable portion of the blame.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is always going to wear the blame for the shortcomings of the passing offense. It’s the nature of the position and the spotlight that comes with a star on his helmet.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has received some flak, too. The “Texas Coast” offense isn’t operating as advertised and, even after an encouraging win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas can put its players in more favorable positions. Prescott isn’t going to pull rabbits out of his hat on a weekly basis.

Part of the offense’s inconsistencies, though, are simply a matter of execution. Prescott has shown he’s more than capable of hitting his downfield shots and is willing to trust his receivers in single coverage. A chunk of the Cowboys’ struggles can be traced back to well-thrown balls down the boundary that have ended up hitting the turf.

Michael Gallup attempts to make a catch against the Arizona Cardinals / USA TODAY Sports

It’s beyond time to have an honest conversation about receiver Michael Gallup.

Gallup had earned himself a well-deserved second contract by being a ball-winner and a trustworthy target. He tore his ACL at the end of the 2021 season and hasn’t found the same success since.

Through six games, Gallup’s role as a contested-catch, downfield target hasn’t changed much. Even with the heavy dosage of quick passes, Gallup is seeing his typical nine-balls down the sideline. They just aren’t hitting at an acceptable clip.

He has seen 32 targets for 18 receptions and 204 yards. His 11.1-yard average depth of target is the exact same as last season, but he’s yet to catch a touchdown.

ESPN Analytics’ recently released receiver tracking metrics seem to agree. Receivers are graded on their ability to separate, catch, and make plays after the catch, and a combined score is generated, too.

Of 81 receivers, Gallup’s overall score (34) ranks 78th. He’s surrounded by struggling Carolina Panthers receivers Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall Jr.—not exactly elite company. His open, catch, and yards-after-catch scores rank 72nd, 77th, and 22nd, respectively.

For reference, CeeDee Lamb’s overall score (74) trails just five receivers. Brandin Cooks has also seen his fair share of struggles, ranking 72nd

Maybe some sort of role change is in the works after the bye week, but Gallup’s struggles in particular must be addressed. His deeper targets are more valuable to the offense’s ceiling, but coming up empty has continued to put the Cowboys in adversarial situations. With just one imposing weapon in the passing game, it’s simply not a recipe for success.

There’s a good chance Gallup will see his snap counts decline in the coming weeks. It’s hard to blame Dallas for doing so.

He must take advantage of a weak Los Angeles Rams secondary—still recovering from Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Picken’s catch-point prowess—on Sunday.