Dallas will face the Buccaneers to open up the regular season for the second-straight year. Quarterback Dak Prescott‘s pass-catching options will look a bit different this year with Amari Cooper in Cleveland and Michael Gallup sitting out the first game of the season, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The Cowboys’ practice injury report from this week gave fans a glimmer of hope as Gallup was listed as a limited participant, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see the incredible return of Dallas’s No. 2 receiver. 
Gallup is in the process of attempting to return from a Week 17 ACL tear suffered in January of this year. It would have been an impressive feat for Gallup to have suited up on Sunday night, just nine months after the initial injury. It won’t be any less impressive when he makes his 2022 debut a week or two from now.
Gallup is set for a comeback season whenever he does return. After a decent rookie season, Gallup exploded in Year 2 with 66 catches for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns as the No. 2 receiver behind Cooper. His production was slightly limited with the arrival of first-round draft pick Ceedee Lamb in 2020, but he still racked up 59 receptions for 843 yards and five touchdowns as the No. 3 receiver. A Week 1 calf injury sidelined Gallup for nine weeks to start 2021, and Gallup was a bit slow to get back into midseason form before his ACL tear.
With Cooper out of the picture this year, Gallup is likely itching to reprise his role as a No. 2 wide receiver. Lamb is primed to continue his role as the team’s top wideout after taking over the role last year.
Gallup joins free agent offseason addition James Washington as receivers set to miss the opener. With those two out, Dallas will rely on starters Lamb and third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert, with backups Noah Brown, Simi Fehoko, undrafted rookie Dennis Houston, and USFL-star KaVontae Turpin getting their chances to contribute.