Michael Gallup

Michael Gallup
refer to caption
Gallup with the Dallas Cowboys in 2018
No. 13
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1996-03-04) March 4, 1996 (age 28)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:Monroe Area
(Monroe, Georgia)
College:Butler CC (2014–2015)
Colorado State (2016–2017)
NFL draft:2018 / round: 3 / pick: 81
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:86
Receptions:266
Receiving yards:3,744
Receiving touchdowns:21
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Michael Gallup (born March 4, 1996) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Butler Community College before transferring to Colorado State, where he was a consensus All-American in 2017. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft.

Early life

Gallup attended Monroe Area High School in Monroe, Georgia, where he played football, baseball, basketball, and ran track.[1] He started focusing on football as a junior, playing quarterback in a triple option offense.

As a senior, he played wide receiver and running back, registering 28 receptions for 637 yards (22.8-yard average) and 10 receiving touchdowns, 37 carries for 484 yards (13.1-yard average) and seven rushing touchdowns. He helped his team advance to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.[2]

College career

Gallup enrolled at Butler Community College to improve his grades.[3] As a freshman in 2014, he led the team with 780 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Against Dodge City Community College, he tallied five receptions for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

As a sophomore in 2015, Gallup played in only three games due to an ankle injury and had nine receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.[4]

In 2016, Gallup transferred to Colorado State University.[5] He started slow in his first season, but began to increase his production after his third game against the University of Northern Colorado, when he had 4 receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown. He played in all 13 games (11 starts), recording 76 receptions for 1,272 yards (tied for first in the conference) and 14 touchdowns.[6]

As a senior in 2017, he was a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award.[7] He started all 13 games, posting 100 receptions (school record) for 1,413 yards and seven touchdowns.[8]

Gallup finished his career with various accomplishments. He had three of the top eight single-game all-time receiving performances in school history, four of the top ten games in school history for receptions, ranked second in single-season receiving touchdowns (14), only player in school history to catch three or more touchdowns three times, record for single-season receptions (100), second-best single-season receiving yards (1,413), ranked fifth in career receptions (176).

College statistics

Season Team GP Receiving
Rec Yds Avg TD
2016 Colorado State 13 76 1,272 16.7 14
2017 Colorado State 13 100 1,418 14.2 7
Total 26 176 2,690 15.3 21

Professional career

Pre-draft

On November 20, 2017, it was announced that Gallup had accepted his invitation to play in the Senior Bowl.[9] On January 27, 2018, Gallup caught three passes for 60-yards and was part of Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph's North team that lost 45–16 to the South coach by Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien.[10] He attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed all of the combine and positional drills.

On March 7, 2018, Gallup participated at Colorado State's pro day and performed the 40-yard dash (4.45s), 20-yard dash (2.63s), 10-yard dash (1.57s), broad jump (10'8"), short shuttle (4.52s), and three-cone drill (7.09s). At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Gallup was projected to be a third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 10th best wide receiver prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked the 14th best wide receiver by Scouts Inc.[11][12]

External videos
video icon Michael Gallup's NFL Combine Workout
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+34 in
(1.85 m)
205 lb
(93 kg)
31+12 in
(0.80 m)
9+14 in
(0.23 m)
4.51 s 1.60 s 2.66 s 4.37 s 6.95 s 36 in
(0.91 m)
10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)
10 reps
All values from NFL Combine[13]

Dallas Cowboys

2018 season

Gallup was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round (81st overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[14] He was the ninth wide receiver drafted in 2018.[15] On May 21, 2018, the Cowboys signed Gallup to a four-year, $3.52 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $889,980.[16]

External videos
video icon Cowboys draft Michael Gallup 81st overall

Gallup made his NFL debut in the season-opening 8-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers, catching one pass for nine yards.[17] In Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he made the first start of his career over Deonte Thompson, catching one pass for 27 yards in a 40-7 win. In Week 7 against the Washington Redskins, he caught his first NFL touchdown on a 49-yard pass from Dak Prescott and a season-best 81 receiving yards in a 17-20 loss.[18]

After the release of Dez Bryant on April 13, 2018, the Cowboys entered the season using a wide receiver-by-committee approach, but the production was not there and the team record was 3-4. On October 22, 2018, the team traded for Amari Cooper, which helped turn the season around. In Week 13 against the New Orleans Saints, Gallup led the team with 76 yards on 5 receptions in the 13-10 win. He had 2 receptions for 18 yards and an 11-yard touchdown in his postseason debut in the 24-22 Wild Card playoff win against the Seattle Seahawks. He was named the starter in the Divisional playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, logged the first 100-yard game of his career, while setting Cowboys rookie records in a postseason with a 119 receiving yards and six catches.

Gallup appeared in all 16 regular season games with 8 starts, collecting 33 receptions, 15.36 yards per reception average (led the team), 2 receiving touchdowns and 507 receiving yards (seventh in franchise history for a rookie).[19]

2019 season

Gallup in a game against the Washington Redskins

During the season-opener against the New York Giants, Gallup caught seven passes for a career-high 158 yards in the 35–17 victory, including a career-long 62-yard reception.[20] In Week 2 against the Washington Redskins, he tore his lateral meniscus. He missed Weeks 3–4 due to knee surgery.[21] He returned in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers to log 7 catches for 113 yards and one touchdown.

During Week 11 against the Detroit Lions, Gallup finished with nine receptions for 148 yards in the 35–27 road victory.[22] Three weeks later against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football, he caught six passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in the 31–24 road loss.[23] In the regular-season finale against the Redskins, he caught five passes for 98 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the 47–16 victory.[24]

Overall, he started 12 of the 14 games he played, making 66 receptions for 1,107 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.[25] He teamed with Cooper to give the Cowboys two 1,000-yard receivers in a single-season for the seventh time in franchise history. It was also the first time in franchise history to produce a 4,000-yard quarterback (Prescott), a 1,000-yard rusher (Ezekiel Elliott) and a 1,000-yard receiver in a single-season.

2020 season

In Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, Gallup finished with six receptions for 138 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys lost 31–38.[26] In Week 5 against the New York Giants, starting quarterback Prescott suffered a season-ending injury to his right ankle, which forced the Cowboys to use 3 different quarterbacks during the season (Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert).

In Week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Gallup recorded six catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns during the 37–17 victory, with all of his yards coming in the first half.[27] He finished with a career-high 15 starts, along with 59 receptions for 843 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns (tied for the team lead).[28]

2021 season

In the season opener he had 4 receptions for 36 yards, before suffering a calf injury in the first half. On September 14, 2021, Gallup was placed on injured reserve.[29] He missed 7 games and was activated on November 13.[30]

His best game came in Week 12 on Thanksgiving Day against the Las Vegas Raiders, where he had 5 receptions for 106 yards. In Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals, Gallup suffered a torn left ACL on a 21-yard touchdown catch, and was placed back on injured reserve on January 4, 2022.[31] He finished with only 8 starts because of injuries, along with 35 receptions for 445 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in nine games.[32]

2022 season

On March 13, 2022, the Cowboys took a chance and signed Gallup to a five-year, $62.5 million extension, while he was still recovering from the reconstructive knee surgery he underwent on February 10.[33] He was expected to have a larger role in the offense following the Cowboys' trade of Cooper to the Cleveland Browns on March 16. He missed the start of training camp and was placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) on July 27, 2022. He was removed from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on August 30, 2022.

Gallup missed the first three games as he finished the rehab process from a torn ACL suffered nine months earlier. He started slow with just 8 catches for 86 yards and one touchdown through his first four contests. He had a lackluster season, recording only 39 receptions for 424 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 14 games (11 starts).[34] He didn't have more than 5 receptions in any game and surpassed 50 receiving yards just once.

In the Wild Card Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 5 receptions for 46 yards and one receiving touchdown in the 31–14 victory.[35] He was shut out the following week against the San Francisco 49ers.

2023 season

In the 2023 season, there was an expectation that a full year removed from his knee injury would see a return to his previous level, but despite quarterback Prescott having one of the best seasons of his career, Gallup’s statistics were worst.

His lack of production caused him to drop behind the team's top pass-catchers (CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, and Brandin Cooks). He registered 34 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games (13 starts), finishing fifth in receptions and fourth in receiving yards. His best regular-season game came against the Arizona Cardinals, where he had 6 receptions for 90 yards and no touchdowns. He had only two games with at least 70 receiving yards and only two games with more than 3 catches.

In the Wild Card playoff 32–48 loss against the Green Bay Packers, he had his best game of the season with 6 receptions for 103 yards, including a 42-yard catch off a well executed pass route. It was his first 100-yard game since the Thanksgiving contest against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021.

After not regaining his pre-injury form, Gallup was released in a salary-cap move on March 15, 2024.[36]

Las Vegas Raiders

On April 30, 2024, Gallup signed a one-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.[37] He was acquired with the intention of competing with Tre Tucker for the third receiver role.

Retirement

On July 23, 2024, before the start of training camp, Gallup announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 28 years old.[38]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2018 DAL 16 8 33 507 15.4 49T 2 0 0
2019 DAL 14 12 66 1,107 16.8 62 6 0 0
2020 DAL 16 15 59 843 14.3 55 5 0 0
2021 DAL 9 8 35 445 12.7 41 2 0 0
2022 DAL 14 11 39 424 10.9 27 4 0 0
2023 DAL 17 13 34 418 12.3 41 2 0 0
Career 86 67 266 3,744 14.1 62 21 0 0

Postseason

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2018 DAL 2 1 8 137 17.1 44 1 0 0
2021 DAL 0 0 did not play due to injury
2022 DAL 2 2 5 46 9.2 15 1 0 0
2023 DAL 1 1 6 103 17.2 42 0 0 0
Career 5 4 19 286 15.1 44 2 0 0

Personal life

Gallup was adopted when he was 10 months old.[39] His brother Andrew died by suicide in 2018.[40]

References

  1. ^ Lytle, Kevin (October 18, 2017). "Michael Gallup's determination leads him from Kansas junior college to CSU". Coloradoan.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  2. ^ "CSU receiver Michael Gallup's gifts go well beyond football". The Coloradoan. October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  3. ^ Ledbetter, D. Orlando (January 26, 2018). "Q&A with Colorado State wide receiver Michael Gallup". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  4. ^ Brohard, Mike (October 16, 2016). "Michael Gallup becoming Colorado State football's big-play threat". Loveland Reporter-Herald. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  5. ^ Lytle, Kevin (October 18, 2017). "Michael Gallup's determination leads him from Kansas junior college to CSU". Coloradoan. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  6. ^ Frei, Terry (April 18, 2017). "Michael Gallup fishing for more catches this fall for CSU Rams". Denver Post. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  7. ^ Fredrickson, Kyle (November 20, 2017). "Colorado State receiver Michael Gallup named one of three Biletnikoff Award finalists". Denver Post. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  8. ^ "Michael Gallup 2017 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  9. ^ "Gallup accepts invitation to 2018 Reese's Senior Bowl". Colorado State Rams Athletics. November 20, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Kurtzman, Rich (January 29, 2018). "Michael Gallup only boosted his draft stock in Senior Bowl". milehighsports.com. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  11. ^ "Michael Gallup, DS #10 WR, Colorado State". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  12. ^ "NFL Michael Gallup, DS #14 WR, Colorado State". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 21, 2018.[dead link]
  13. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Michael Gallup". National Football League. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  14. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  15. ^ Patra, Kevin (April 27, 2018). "Cowboys select Michael Gallup in 3rd round of 2018 Draft". NFL.com. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  16. ^ "Spotrac.com Michael Gallup contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  17. ^ Hill Jr., Clarence E. (September 9, 2018). "This is what went wrong for the Cowboys in a season-opening loss to the Panthers". Star-Telegram. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  18. ^ "Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – October 21st, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  19. ^ "Michael Gallup 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  20. ^ "Prescott lightens Elliott's load as Cowboys top Giants 35–17". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  21. ^ Alper, Josh (September 16, 2019). "Report: Michael Gallup having knee surgery". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  22. ^ "Cowboys get huge day from Prescott, beat Lions 35–27". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  23. ^ "Mitchell Trubisky helps Bears beat Cowboys 31–24". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  24. ^ "Cowboys beat Redskins 47–16, miss playoffs with Eagles' win". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  25. ^ "Michael Gallup 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  26. ^ "Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks – September 27th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  27. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – December 27th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  28. ^ "Michael Gallup 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  29. ^ Eatman, Nick (September 13, 2021). "Michael Gallup to IR; Can't Return Until October". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  30. ^ Alper, Josh (November 13, 2021). "Cowboys activate Michael Gallup, Trysten Hill". ProFootballTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  31. ^ Archer, Todd (January 3, 2022). "Dallas Cowboys' Michael Gallup has torn ACL in left knee, source says". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  32. ^ "Michael Gallup 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  33. ^ DeArdo, Bryan (March 13, 2022). "Cowboys sign Michael Gallup to five-year, $62.5 million deal after dealing Amari Cooper, per report". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  34. ^ "Michael Gallup 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  35. ^ "Wild Card - Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - January 16th, 2023". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  36. ^ Walker, Patrik. "Gallup released by Cowboys ahead of free agency". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  37. ^ "Raiders sign WR Michael Gallup". Raiders.com. April 30, 2024.
  38. ^ Gutierrez, Paul (July 23, 2024). "Raiders WR Michael Gallup retires from NFL after six seasons". ESPN. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  39. ^ Lyell, Kelly (October 6, 2016). "CSU receiver Michael Gallup's gifts go well beyond football". Coloradoan. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  40. ^ Archer, Todd (November 18, 2019). "Gallup has huge game a year after brother's death". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.