Cowboys shouldn’t make Michael Gallup mind games a reality vs Bucs

Last month, Michael Gallup told reporters that playing in Week 1 for the Dallas Cowboys simply wasn’t a possibility. That made sense given he tore his ACL just about seven months ago. However, the Cowboys have been toying with his return.

First, they decided not to put Gallup on the PUP list, meaning he owned a spot on the 53-man roster and wasn’t required to sit the first four weeks of the season. Fans assumed this meant he would likely return sometime between Weeks 2 and 4.

However, on Wednesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones refused to rule Gallup out against the Bucs. We know Jones loves to spin words, and with injuries, it’s all part of the game. Tampa Bay also hasn’t completely ruled out WR Chris Godwin yet. It’s all part of the charade to keep your opponent guessing. Blowing smoke is a tactic we expect from Jones, but not Mike McCarthy.

At Thursday’s pre-practice press conference, the head coach was also ambiguous about whether Gallup would play on Sunday or not.

“If he practices today, we’ll talk about it,” McCarthy told reporters.

The Cowboys are refusing to count Michael Gallup out of Sunday’s game, but is that a smart move?

Moments after McCarthy’s press conference, Gallup was seen at The Star in full pads participating in practice and catching passes from Dak Prescott.

It’s certainly exciting to see Gallup make progress. All we keep hearing from the staff is that the wide receiver looks amazing and hasn’t missed a mark. But that’s not entirely a reason to jump the gun.

We all want Gallup back on the field. But at what cost? Is it really worth throwing your newly-extended receiver into the fire in Week 1 when he’s still recovering from an ACL tear? You’d think having him wait for another game or two to ensure that he can play safely for the rest of the season would be far more important than taking a risk this early on just to see him play against the Bucs.

Jones himself admitted that if Sunday were the Super Bowl, Gallup would play. He should listen to himself. This isn’t the Super Bowl. It’s an important game, but it’s also the first of many. Don’t you want to make sure your WR doesn’t re-aggravate his injury so that he’s around to give your team a chance at a Super Bowl?

We truly hope that this is just a ploy to keep Tom Brady and the Bucs on their toes as they game plan for Week 1. A risk this big just doesn’t seem worth it in any way.