Michael Gallup is again within the NFL. The Washington Commanders announced on Thursday that they’ve signed Gallup to a contract.
Gallup is making an attempt a comeback after retiring from the NFL final offseason. He spent the primary six years of his profession with the Dallas Cowboys earlier than being launched in March 2024. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in April however determined early in coaching camp to retire somewhat than play through the 2024 season. The Raiders launched him from the reserve/retired checklist earlier this offseason, releasing him to signal with Washington.
The transfer to Washington reunites Gallup with a number of former Dallas teammates and coaches, as Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator throughout Gallup’s closing three years with the group. Different former Cowboys equivalent to middle Tyler Biadasz and defensive finish Dorance Armstrong adopted Quinn to Washington, and now Gallup has finished the identical.
A 3rd-round choose again in 2018, Gallup spent most of his profession working because the No. 2 or 3 possibility for Dak Prescott in Dallas. His greatest season got here in 2019, when he caught 66 passes for 1,107 yards and 6 touchdowns. A torn ACL in 2021 derailed his profession, as he was by no means the identical participant after coming back from that damage.
Although the Cowboys signed him to a brand new contract regardless of the knee problem, Gallup was ineffective in his function. Within the two seasons following the ACL tear, Gallup caught simply 73 of 131 targets throughout 31 video games, totaling 842 yards and 6 scores. His 27.2 yards-per-game common throughout that span was simply over half the mark he had his via his first 4 NFL seasons (52.8 per recreation). Consequently, Dallas minimize ties with him final offseason in a salary-cap clearing transfer.
At his peak, Gallup was a high-level deep risk and contested-catch specialist. If he’s wholesome, he might maybe fill a part-time function in an identical vein for a Washington group that already has Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel locked in as its prime two receiving choices. Within the occasion that Gallup cannot recapture his prior kind (or one thing near it), there isn’t any hurt finished. It is possible a low-cost, low-risk, moderate-reward shot on a participant with whom the workers has familiarity and who at his greatest can deliver one thing completely different to the desk.
