To free up even more salary cap room, the Cowboys released wide receiver Michael Gallup a few weeks ago. Despite being one of the most well-known players to leave the team this summer, Gallup hasn’t really contributed much during the previous three seasons. Dallas may feel comfortable relying on internal promotions as a result of the decreased pressure to replace him.
Over the past three years, Gallup has battled injuries and declining ability. He was once a 1,100-yard receiver in Dallas’ 2019 offense. Their connection with their 2018 third-round choice felt promising, but it ended tragically. Putting sentimental matters aside, however, Gallup’s problems have lately drastically decreased his share of the passing game pie. This is partly the reason he left, and partly the reason the Cowboys might not have to spend a lot of money this offseason to find a replacement for him. Analyzing this using raw numbers is helpful. In 2023, the targets were assigned to Dallas’ full-time receiving options as follows:
CeeDee Lamb – 181
Jake Ferguson – 102
Brandin Cooks – 81
Tony Pollard – 67
Michael Gallup – 57
Jalen Tolbert – 36
Rico Dowdle – 22
KaVontae Turpin – 18
Luke Schoonmaker – 15
Despite being the “third receiver” in Dallas’ offense, Gallup was far from a primary option. In fact, his numbers may actually be inflated by the fact that Cooks had a slow start to the year due to a knee sprain and needed to find his rhythm with Dak Prescott and the offense. Of Gallup’s 57 targets, 32 of them came in the first six weeks. He only got 25 passes thrown his way over the next 11 games.
In 2024, Cooks, Ferguson, and Lamb are all back. Ferguson, a vital player off of a Pro Bowl (alternate) season, will probably get additional opportunities. In addition, Cooks might receive a larger portion if his aging doesn’t cause him to deteriorate too much. The question is whether the men below them or that massive bucket that went to Lamb the previous year will fund their enhanced ambitions.
Despite Tony Pollard’s departure, Dallas seems determined to replace him later this month with one of its first-round draft selections. That youngster will still get a good number of targets even without Pollard’s receiving prowess since he will be directing a well-balanced attack. Even though Cooks and Ferguson might steal some of those looks, you can still count on at least 50 passes from the RB1 in the upcoming season. Assume that the top four players—including Pollard’s replacement at RB—retain roughly the same number of goals. Without another body to take Gallup’s place, what are we to do? Let’s take another look at those next four guys: 36-year-old Jalen Tolbert Rico Dowdle (age 22) Turpin, KaVontae – 18 Luke Schoonmaker (ages 15)
Certain target shares are more precisely specified by responsibilities and positions. Therefore, just because they won’t be on the field as much as they were last year doesn’t mean that guys like Dowdle and Schoonmaker will get more attention. They can still be required to perform more blocking than entering a route even if they do receive a snap.
Nevertheless, Schoonmaker might see an increase in playing time in his sophomore campaign. Front office demand to see some action from the second-round choice is understandable. The Cowboys don’t want to overshadow Ferguson, who is a developing star, so if they use more 12 personnel formations (two tight ends), Schoonmaker could be able to make an impression. The next man up at wide receiver might easily steal one of Gallup’s targets. Tolbert, Turpin, and possibly Jalen Brooks, a second-year prospect, are those three. It’s easy to envision Tolbert absorbing much of that volume and some trickling down to the other guys, especially given that he was only getting 2-3 targets per game for two-thirds of the season. I’m
Leave a Reply