ASHBURN, Va. (7News) — As cut-down day looms in the NFL, players are working to prove their worth in efforts to earn a spot on their respective 53-man rosters.
The same goes for Commanders’ wide receiver Michael Gallup.
Signed by Washington in the offseason, Gallup told 7News Sports Anchor Natalie Spala he is continuing to gain comfortability with the offense and his new teammates.
“We stay on the ball, we don’t huddle a whole lot, so it’s a little bit different for me. I like to hear the whole play and then I go get lined up, but now it’s just look for a little signal, alright, we got it, we’re good, but it’s been fun,” he said.
Gallup spent last season on the practice squad for the Las Vegas Raiders. Before the 2024-25 season, he announced his retirement from football sighting the mental strain it was taking on him.
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As he enters his seventh season in the league, Gallup credits Dan Quinn for his fresh start in Washington.
“Just being out here with DQ, he was like family back there in Dallas,” Gallup said.
“He called me and he was just like, ‘You done?’ and I was like, ‘I don’t want to be’. But he was just like, ‘I know you still got some ball left in you, so come up in here, just do what you do, you’ve been doing it for a long time, we’ll definitely give you a chance; if it works out, it works out; if not, you didn’t leave a stone unturned,'” he added.
As Gallup works to stake his claim in Washington’s packed wide receiver room, he understands how important it is to continue to stack good practices and preseason tape together.
“I just got to be in the right spot at the right time,” Gallup said. “For me, that’s just consistency. The last game, obviously, had some bumps and bruises, then you caught some good passes, so just stacking, trying to stay in that positive range.”