3 Cowboys who need to step up with Michael Gallup out for the playoffs
Michael Gallup went down with a torn ACL in the Cowboys’ Week 17 loss and, with him out, these three players need to step up for Dallas in the playoffs.
It was a bad day at the office on Sunday for the Dallas Cowboys. With the opportunity to still make a run at the NFC’s top seed, they instead fell short against the Arizona Cardinals, dropping them to the fourth-seed in the conference standings with just one game remaining.
Exacerbating the pain of losing to the Cards at home, though, is the fact that Dallas also lost wide receiver Michael Gallup for the season after the pass-catcher suffered a torn ACL on a key touchdown reception early in the game.
Despite the defeat at the hands of Arizona, the Cowboys have already locked up a playoff spot and will be looking to make a run in the postseason as, when they’re at their best, they’ve proven they have the ability to beat anyone in the NFL.
For that to happen with Gallup out of the equation, though, the offense is going to need these three players to step up and try to make up for what the unit is losing now that the wide receiver is on the sidelines.
Cowboys: 3 players who need to step up after Michael Gallup injury
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Dallas Cowboys. player. TE. Dalton Schultz. 3. 123
Dalton Schultz needs to be a more consistent force for the Cowboys
Make no mistake, on the whole, Dalton Schultz is in the midst of his best NFL season as a pass-catcher and it’s really not all that close. Through 16 games, the tight end has 75 receptions for 787 yards with six touchdowns.
The biggest gripe about Schultz is that he can be a bit inconsistent and, frankly, will disappear for games at a time. While he can go off for six catches, 65 yards with ease at times, he has four games this year with under 20 receiving yards. With Gallup out, that becomes highly problematic.
While not a wide receiver, the fact of the matter is that Schultz is likely going to be the third-best option in the passing attack. He needs to put a cherry on top of his career year this season by stepping up when the Cowboys need him most and consistently delivering with production in the box score.