The Dallas Cowboys offense appears to be on track to get one of their top players back for their Week 3 matchup against the New York Giants.
With Dak Prescott sidelined with a thumb injury, the Dallas Cowboys were given no shot of defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. They managed to pull out a 20-17 victory with Cooper Rush starting at quarterback. Now, the Cowboys have a huge game on Monday Night Football, as they take on their NFC East rivals, the undefeated New York Giants.
The Cowboys are expecting one huge player on offense to return, and no, it’s not Prescott.
While speaking with the media on Thursday, Sept. 22, head coach Mike McCarthy says he expects wide receiver Michael Gallup to make his season debut against the Giants. However, McCarthy stresses that there will be a limit in snaps for Gallup.
Cowboys: Mike McCarthy expects Michael Gallup to make season debut in Week 3
Gallup has not played for the Cowboys since the team’s Week 17 game against the Arizona Cardinals last season. In that very game, Gallup tore his ACL and was ruled out for the remainder of that season.
This offseason, Gallup was an unrestricted free agent, but he returned to Dallas on a five-year, $57.5 million contract. Now, he is receiving a full slate of reps in practice heading into the pivotal Week 3 game, and could very well play.
Last season, Gallup caught 35-of-62 targets for 445 yards and two touchdowns in nine games.
Getting Gallup back, even in a limited capacity, will be huge for the Cowboys. The offense has struggled so far this season, with CeeDee Lamb receiving extra coverage with Amari Cooper no longer on the team and in Gallup’s absence.
Dallas is scheduled to face a New York defense that has surrendered an average of 197.5 passing yards per game (10th-best in NFL). Not to mention that the Giants could be getting edge rushers Kavon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari back for Week 3, both of whom missed the first two games of the season due to injury.