Fansided

Every NFL team’s biggest X-Factor in 2019

By Kevin Parvizi

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 30: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings passes the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 30: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings passes the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 29: Michael Gallup #13 of the Dallas Cowboys pulls down a pass against Eli Apple #25 of the New Orleans Saints in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium on November 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 29: Michael Gallup #13 of the Dallas Cowboys pulls down a pass against Eli Apple #25 of the New Orleans Saints in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium on November 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /

Dallas Cowboys – Michael Gallup

The Dallas Cowboys finished the 2018 season as the NFL’s 22nd-best scoring offense, but they still won the NFC East and got past the Seattle Seahawks in the postseason. Of course, their offense looked a lot more effective with Amari Cooper as the No. 1 wide receiver, and Cooper has quickly established himself as one of the five most important players on this team.

Dallas still has Super Bowl ambitions, but in order to progress deeper into the postseason, this offense simply has to get better. It’s unclear just how good Prescott is as a quarterback, but the Cowboys won’t know where he lies on the “good” to “great” spectrum if other wide receivers besides Cooper don’t step up.

Randall Cobb can chip in, but veterans like Cobb and Jason Witten have set ceilings and aren’t as interesting. The real X-Factor for the Cowboys is second-year receiver Michael Gallup, who started to look like a valid option for Prescott as his rookie season continued.

Though the former Colorado State standout had an embarrassing 48.5% catch rate, he produced when it mattered most. In Dallas’s final postseason game against the Super Bowl-bound Los Angeles Rams, Gallup converted nine targets into six receptions for 119 yards. Gallup is an exciting talent with the ball in his hands and has begun to show a more diverse route tree.

If Gallup can continue to progress and get on the same page as Prescott, he could be a high-end No. 2 wide receiver alongside Cooper. That could be enough to help the Cowboys assemble a fringe top-10 offense, which would make Dallas one of the NFC’s best teams.

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