With so many attacking options available to him inside the “Texas Coast Offense,” how did Prescott’s receiver group perform this year? Let’s examine this.

Let’s begin with the obvious. By many standards, Lamb’s season was outstanding; he finished with 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns on 135 receptions. For good measure, he also smashed the franchise record in yards and catches.CeeDee received an All-Pro nod at the conclusion of everything because he was Dak’s go-to weapon and, when in the zone, was often unbeatable.

Now we get to the others. 

Veteran Brandin Cooks was a slow burn to start his Cowboys career as he didn’t have more than 27 yards and four catches in the first month of football.

But as the year went on, Cooks developed a habit of being Prescott’s go-to guy in the endzone. He would finish the regular season catching a touchdown in three straight games and had eight for the year (second behind Lamb).

Cooks would finish the season with 657 yards from his 54 receptions (both rank third on Dallas’ roster) as the tweaks McCarthy made to the offense after the Week 5 debacle against the San Francisco 49ers proved pivotal in turning Cooks into a viable option in the passing game.

Then there’s Michael Gallup.

One of the biggest question marks is what exactly happened to Gallup this season as he had just 34 catches, 418 yards, and just two touchdowns (both career lows).

In Gallup’s last three seasons, he hasn’t surpassed 445 yards and 39 catches in a year as the ACL injury appears to have taken its toll.

This season, 12 times Gallup had two or fewer catches in games (although he stated he wasn’t phased), and in three of them, he didn’t register a single catch. Ironically, his best return came in the playoff loss to the Packers (six receptions, 103 yards) as it was just the third time he had five or more catches in a game.

With a $13.8 million cap hit for next season, what do the Cowboys do with Gallup as he has gone down in production each year?

The solution may be found below.

In his 17 games (six as a starter), Jalen Tolbert caught 22 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns, showing some encouraging signs. Tolbert made good growth this season, increasing his snap total from 89 to 477 from the previous year. On the other hand, he reduced Gallup’s snap total from 738 during the previous season to 612 this one.

Is it a good omen moving forward?

McCarthy used KaVontae Turpin (12 catches, 127 yards, three touchdowns) more frequently in his offense because of his quickness. Turpin should see increased usage in McCarthy’s offense in the future.

Throughout his rookie campaign, Jalen Brooks saw action on the field, catching all six receptions thrown to him for 64 yards. Though he didn’t have many opportunities, he made the most of the ones that did present himself.

The receiving group performed well this season overall, with Lamb emerging as the clear leader. Cooks is signed for the upcoming season after proving his worth in the closing games.

However, the main concern is Gallup’s future; he may find himself phased out of the offense as Tolbert and Turpin, along with Brooks, get more opportunities.

Other than Gallup’s lackluster performance, there can’t be much to be unhappy with from a receiving perspective this season. Theoretically, Dallas could cut him after June 1 and spread the $13 million in dead money, or they could make a post-June 1 cut and eat the money.

Although Gallup is a lovely and hard-working man, it is not his fault that he hasn’t been the same player since the surgery. He was praised for his blocking, which is wonderful but not worth $13 million.

The Cowboys are preparing to offer Lamb a huge contract, and they may decide to sever ties with Gallup.