Cowboys' Michael Gallup Reveal: No More 'Mentals' Problems

Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup had a down year in 2022 coming off a torn ACL and recently revealed that "mentally" he was not in a good place last season.

The receivers on the Dallas Cowboys roster have garnered a lot of attention throughout the offseason.

Ceedee Lamb headlines the group and is coming off a career-best season that saw him haul in 107 receptions for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns. Brandin Cooks was added via free agency and brings speed and veteran experience to the unit. 

There is also second-year player Jalen Tolbert, who has reportedly "taken a big leap" as a receiver entering the 2023 season after recording just two catches for 12 yards as a rookie.

There is also Michael Gallup, who signed a lucrative five-year contract extension last offseason despite tearing his ACL in Week 17 of the 2021 season. Coming off his injury, Gallup only registered 39 receptions for 424 receiving yards and four touchdowns. The Cowboys responded to his down by restructuring his contract this offseason to $7 million in cap space.

Gallup expressed in a recent interview that he was not in the right space mentally during the 2022 campaign.

"I think just coming off, really any injury, you’ve got to make sure that you have your mentals right," Gallup told The Around The NFL Podcast. " Everybody says they’re good, but there’s always something a little bit up under the table that you’re not trying to express to everybody.

"But that was my big problem. I said I was good. Mentally, I really wasn’t. But physically I knew I was good. So I could go out there and do enough, but it wasn’t enough to be out there. I shouldn’t have been playing like that."

Gallup is fully healthy entering the 2023 season and thanks to the new additions to Dallas' receiver room, he is embracing his role as the third wideout in the offense.

"That’s how it’s kind of always been all my years here playing for the Cowboys, just kind of been that third wide receiver," Gallup said. "But if they get doubled that means I’ve got to be one-on-one, so that’s easy pickings for me."

Dallas hosts Jacksonville in Saturday's preseason opener, and it's not known how much front-line guys will play. When it is his turn, though? As Gallup mentioned above, he was not in the proper mindset to fully contribute to the team in 2022. But with a full offseason under his belt that did not require any rehab, the hope is that Gallup can return to his old form in 2023. 

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You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.

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