NOV 12 GALLUP INVOLVED Michael Gallup and … well, everybody … is getting into the act in this Sunday blowout of the visiting Giants as Gallup has latched onto a 41-yard TD catch from Dak Prescott to put Dallas up 35-7 over hapless New York.
Call it the ‘Martavis Bryant Challenge,’ if you will, as Gallup has been experiencing a subpar season – and this week Dallas signed Bryant after his five-year absence from the NFL.
The Cowboys are piling up the stats today. For instance, Dak has four TD throws and 404 passing yards and his own rushing TD. CeeDee Lamb has two TDs, one rushing, one receiving, and has nine catches for 142 yards. Brandin Cooks is “having a season today” with 172 yards receiving and near the end of the third, it’s now 42-7. … So, good for the beleaguered Gallup to get in on some of it.
NOV 9 GALLUP ODD RECEIVER OUT WITH BRYANT SIGNED? If and when Martavis Bryant is ready to make his Dallas Cowboys debut, a report from Bleacher Report insider Jordan Schultz hints at whose snaps he might swipe.
Schultz said that Dallas responded so positively to Bryant’s original workout that they signed him as soon as they possibly could, refusing to let him leave for another workout with the Tennessee Titans.
“The Cowboys have been in the market for another receiver to complement CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks,” Schultz said. “While Dallas still believes in the in-house options they have, Martavis Bryant was an intriguing choice … The staff came away so impressed with his workout, to the point they’ve decided to give him a chance to play a role.”
Schultz’s omission of Gallup from the top options might be taken by some a sign of doom for the tenured Dallas receiver; through eight games, Gallup is the Cowboys’ third-leading receiver at 243 yards on 22 receptions (38 targets) but has yet to score a touchdown.
Almost all of that tally has come in a two-game span, as he earned 152 on 11 catches in Weeks 3 and 4 against Arizona and New England respectively.
Time will tell if the arrival of Bryant – who participated in his first practice on Thursday at The Star and is wearing No. 17 – is the spark he needs to potentially save Gallup’s Dallas career … though we would gently suggest we tap the brakes on the idea of “Martavis as savior” just yet.
NOV 6 COWBOYS TO WORKOUT REINSTATED BRYANT Martavis Bryant is back on the NFL circuit and it hasn’t taken him long to find a potential suitor: per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Cowboys are set to host the former Pittsburgh Steeler for a workout on Tuesday, shortly after he was reinstated by commissioner Roger Goodell after numerous violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.
Bryant, 31, has not played in the NFL since a 2018 tour with the Oakland Raiders. He is best-known for his three-season tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which saw him put up 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns between 2014 and 2017. Since his latest suspension proved indefinite, Bryant has lingered in several other professional leagues, including the CFL, XFL, and FCF.
NOV 3 ‘IT’S THE OFFENSE!’ EMMITT SMITH RIPS MCCARTHY Dallas Cowboys rushing legend Emmitt Smith places the blame for Tony Pollard’s struggles on Mike McCarthy, noting that his statistical decline coincides with the head coach’s takeover of the offensive playcalling.
“Defenses are gearing up to stop one person, Tony Pollard, in the run game,” Smith said. “Therefore, they focus in on him week-in and week-out … and that’s slowing down his running game and McCarthy is only (worsening the issue) by not creating opportunities for Pollard to get the ball in certain spaces. That’s all McCarthy.”
Smith said this during an appearance on FanDuel’s “Up & Adams” program, talking on Pollard having taken over the Cowboys’ primary rushing duties with Ezekiel Elliott released over the offseason … and has struggled to the tune of a career-low 3.9 yards per carry and two scores through seven games.
NOV 2 JAYLON SMITH FINDS NEW HOME Per his agent Doug Hendrickson, former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith has signed with the Las Vegas Raiders’ 53-man roster. Smith will join a Las Vegas group now coached by former linebacker Antonio Pierce, who takes over as interim head coach after the firing of Josh McDaniels.
Smith, 28, was the Cowboys’ second-round pick in 2016 out of Notre Dame. He played parts of five seasons in Dallas after making his way back from a devastating knee injury suffered in his final collegiate game. He earned Pro Bowl honors after the 2019 season and put up 20 tackles for a loss and six forced fumbles during his Dallas career.
Prior to the Raiders’ call, Smith had been stationed on the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad. His most recent regular season action came with the New York Giants in 2022.
OCT 31 QB MOVES The Cardinals are sending QB Josh Dobbs to the Vikings, per NFL Network. … ending all sorts of speculation about what Minny might do after losing Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles.
One of the “fun” ideas being floated in the media: What if the Cowboys sent third-stringer Trey Lance back to him home state of Minnesota?
But instead, Minnesota brings in Dobbs, who started the first eight games for Arizona, a club that seems about ready to put a rehabbed Kyler Murray back on the field.
OCT 31 ‘PRICE IS WRONG’? The Cowboys have an awareness of what the Bears want for Jaylon Johnson, so ignore the “who is calling whom?” semantics. But now comes word that Dallas thinks “the price is wrong.” We hear the “price” starts with a second-round pick.
