Michael

Gallup

Gallup retired last offseason before the start of training camp. He had signed a one-year contract with the Raiders just months before that. He will now join the Commanders in hopes of securing a spot on the 53-man roster this upcoming season. The former third-round pick totaled 158 receptions for 2,457 yards and 13 touchdowns during his first three years in the league but hasn’t been the same since a torn ACL ended his 2021 campaign. He reunites with Dan Quinn, who he spent three seasons with during their stint with the Cowboys. He’s not a lock to make the roster.

Gallup, who turned 29 this month, recently met with the Commanders as the former third-round pick eyes a return to the NFL. Gallup opted for retirement ahead of the 2024 season, but after a year away from the game, he hopes to join a team and compete for a spot on a 53-man roster. Gallup suffered a torn ACL during the 2021 season, then totaled just 832 yards and six receptions on 73 receptions from 2022 to 2023. He’s probably looking at a camp fight for a roster spot regardless of where he lands.

Gallup was released by Dallas last offseason and signed with the Raiders. He ultimately retired before training camp but is now attempting to make a comeback. Gallup played under now Commanders head coach Dan Quinn in Dallas when Quinn served as the team’s defensive coordinator. His familiarity with the staff could get his foot in the door as a depth option, but Gallup’s play has declined drastically since he suffered a torn ACL in 2021. It’s unclear how much, if anything, he has left in the tank.

Gallup was released by the Cowboys last offseason and signed a one-year deal with the Raiders. He abruptly retired before the start of training camp and was officially released from the reserve/retired list earlier today. Gallup suffered a torn ACL in 2021 and has never been the same. He averaged 30 yards per game in the following season and that number fell to 25 in 2023. Gallup could wind up as a reserve option for a team in need of a WR5/6, but even that seems optimistic for the former Cowboy.

Gallup’s retirement is somewhat abrupt after he signed a one-year deal with the Raiders in the offseason. The Raiders announced on Tuesday that he was placed on the reserve/retired list. A former third-round pick of the Cowboys, Gallup spent six seasons in Dallas, totaling 266 receptions for 3,744 yards and 21 touchdowns. He surpassed 1,000 yards in his second season, but did not reach those heights again. Gallup suffered a torn ACL in 2021 and did not find a prominent role in the Cowboys offense after that. Catching 34 passes for 418 yards and two touchdowns last season, the Cowboys released him in March, after which he signed with the Raiders. The Colorado State product will be known for his playmaking as one of the Cowboys’ top wideouts from 2019-2020.

Gallup made his rounds during the legal tampering period but ultimately went without a contract through the NFL Draft. That is, until the Raiders signed him to a one-year “prove it” deal Monday. Considering the Raiders are thin at the position behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, Gallup could push for starter’s snaps out of 11-personnel to start the season, assuming he can beat out Tre Tucker and Kristian Wilkerson. The one-year contract is worth up to $3 million.

The Panthers have also met with the veteran wideout. Gallup was cut by the Cowboys last week after another quiet season. He last went for more than 445 yards in 2020 and hasn’t looked like the explosive boundary receiver he once was since suffering a torn ACL in 2021. The Ravens took a pricey flyer on a veteran receiver with a checkered injury history last year in Odell Beckham and got mixed results. We expect they would only be interested in trying something similar at a far cheaper price this time around. Still, their lack of depth or high-end talent at wideout could make them a solid landing spot for Gallup to post a rebound season.

Gallup was let go by the Cowboys late last week as a cap-saving move. The veteran receiver totaled 34 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns last season and hasn’t gone for any more than 445 yards in either of the last three years. A torn ACL cut Gallup’s 2021 season short, but prior to that, the former third-round pick had gone for 800-plus yards in back-to-back seasons, topping out at 1,107 yards in 2019. Gallup will be 28 at the start of next season, but his limited production over the years makes him hard to trust as anything more than a WR4 in fantasy, regardless of where he lands.

Per ESPN’s Todd Archer, the move will be designated as a post-June 1 release. It clears $9.5 million in cap space for Dallas this year but saddles them with an $8.7 million dead cap charge next year. Gallup was given permission to seek a trade last week but nothing materialized. Once a rising star for the Cowboys, an ACL tear late in the 2021 season has seemingly sapped him of his athleticism. He ended the 2023 season with 34 catches for 418 yards and two scores. Coming off three straight seasons with fewer than 500 yards, he will have to take a one-year flier deal with his next team.

As beat writer Calvin Watkins points out, it’s “tough” since most teams are expecting 28-year-old Gallup to be released. The Cowboys are essentially trying to land a Day 3 pick, perhaps even a conditional one. Not the same since his ACL tear, Gallup has just 842 yards over his past 31 games. Gallup would clear $9.5 million in cap space were he designated a post-June 1 cut.