Amari Cooper Out for Cowboys at Chiefs: Michael Gallup Has 'Something to Prove'
They survived the loss of offensive lineman Zack Martin in September with solid play from Connor McGovern.
They upset the Minnesota Vikings on Halloween without MVP candidate Dak Prescott behind a game-winning drive orchestrated by backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
They beat the Atlanta Falcons last week without Greg Zuerlein thanks to perfect fill-in kicking by Lirim Hajrullahu.
Now the Dallas Cowboys face their next personnel challenge of 2021: Playing two winning teams - the Chiefs and Raiders - in five days without leading receiver Amari Cooper. The veteran, reliable target was placed on the COVID list Friday afternoon and will miss Sunday's showdown in Kansas City and the game against Las Vegas on Thanksgiving.
Multiple reports suggest Cooper tested positive for COVID-19 and is unvaccinated. That means a 10-day quarantine period.
It also means more Michael Gallup.
“They were rolling,'' Gallup said of the Cowboys with him sidelined with a calf strain, "and then you’re just sitting there, like, ‘I need to be a little piece of that, a little part of that, a little something.’ So, that was the big ‘patience is a virtue’ because if I would have went back out there and injured myself even more, it would have been worse.
"It was hard watching. (But) we were winning. So, I wasn’t too upset.”
The Cowboys. believe they can continue to win, even with Cooper out. Cooper has been the Cowboys' most trusted receiver since arriving via trade in 2018. This season he has 44 catches for 583 and five touchdowns, barely trailing speedy teammate CeeDee Lamb in each category.
So, starting Sunday in K.C., how will coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore adjust the Cowboys' league-leading offense on such short notice?
Depth.
Lamb will obviously get even more targets. The Cowboys have the luxury of several options to help fill Cooper's void. But last week's return of Gallup from a seven-week injury absence comes at a perfect time.
Cedrick Wilson - who could start for every team in the NFC East - will get more snaps and likely more passes thrown his way in the midst of his career-best year with 19 catches, 280 yards and three touchdowns. No. 5 receiver Noah Brown also has 100 yards receiving this season. Malik Turner caught two Prescott TD throws in mop-up duty in the recent loss to Denver.
If the Cowboys want to get creative, they have the reliable tight end in Dalton Schultz and a breakaway back in the screen game named Tony Pollard. Or, super-creative ... and they let new starting left guard McGovern go out for a pass, as he's done in practice.
“He’s trying to work in there,'' Gallup said of McGovern, who has lined up in skill-position slots as a blocker. "He knows where to be. He knows where the spotlight is, you feel me. He knows. He’s trying to get some.”
But more likely? Yes, the loss of Cooper is a significant. But as the Cowboys have already proven, their depth could turn what looks like a mountain into merely a molehill. But Gallup may be the leader among the ready.
On the one hand, Gallup said, "You just got to think like it’s another game because that’s what it is. It’s regular-season, plenty of ball left to be played, but next up on the schedule. So, that’s just how we’re going into it.”
But he's in a contract year, coming off an injury, for a Super Bowl contender playing in a gigantic spot. So, when asked if he "has something to prove'' ...
"“You always got something to prove,'' Gallup said. "I mean, every week.''
Sure. But the Cowboys especially need him for this particular next week or so.
