An interesting thing occurred at the start of the second half in Sunday's 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
When the Cowboys took the field for their first possession of the third quarter, Michael Gallup was not on the field. In fact, Gallup didn't play a single snap on that eight-play drive. CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Jake Ferguson, and Luke Schoonmaker all got time on the drive, which means Gallup couldn't crack the top six rotation of pass catchers on the drive.
Gallup would return the following drive, but it felt like a quiet benching in the wake of a year and half's worth of struggles, including a drop near the end of the second quarter.
Gallup suffered a significant knee injury near the end of the 2021 season. Up to that point, he averaged 3.5 receptions and 53 yards per game. In the 22 games played since his return, Gallup's averages have declined significantly to 2.8 receptions and 30 yards per game. This has all occurred in the aftermath of a new contract that saw the Cowboys invest $11.5 million per season in their former third round pick.
Is it time for Gallup to yield his playing time to last year's third-rounder, Jalen Tolbert?
Tolbert had a poor rookie season, that was marred by confidence issues that Tolbert and the coaching staff have openly acknowledged. He has bounced back in his second year, and is developing a stronger connection with Dak Prescott every week. That was on display Sunday when Prescott and Tolbert connected on two big passing plays.
Although Gallup has long been a fan favorite, it might be time to see what Tolbert can do with Gallup's snaps.