Veteran depth at wide receiver. Could see some playing time if still has speed and remains healthy.
Galloway had three straight 1,000-yard seasons with the Bucs from 2005 to 2007, but was limited to nine games last season with a foot injury. The 37-year-old will battle with fellow newcomer Greg Lewis for the Patriots' No. 3 wideout job, previously held by Jabar Gaffney. As long as he still has his wheels, he'll give the team's offense a nice deep weapon who can be solid complementary contributor if deployed in favorable situations. Look for Galloway to catch up with some nicely timed Tom Brady deep balls and he could be even more important if either Randy Moss or Wes Welker are injured at any point.
Can you really draft a receiver who will turn37 in November? Jerry Rice was able to break 1,100 yards twice after that age, but the rest of the all-time leaders at the position (Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Andre Reed) declined precipitously before that point. Is Galloway, a late bloomer of sorts, somehow anomalous? We'd argue he is.Among 90-target receivers, Galloway led theNFL with 17.8 yards per catch, despite playingwith a quarterback lacking even average armstrength. Galloway also averaged a whopping10.4 yards per target – a full half yard better than Randy Moss who benefited from having TomBrady under center. At 5-11, 197, Galloway's not very big, and he'snot a move-the-chains type guy who will makecatches in traffic over the middle. But he's stillamong the fastest wideouts in the league, and he'sextremely quick in and out of his breaks. There'salways a risk he'll lose some of that quicknessand deep speed as he ages, but any attrition onthat front has been minimal to date.Galloway aggravated a shoulder injury in theteam's playoff loss to the Giants and had surgeryin February but participated in workouts thisspring and is expected to be healthy for the startof training camp.
That Galloway had more than 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns at age 35 while playing with rookie Bruce Gradkowski for most of the year is remarkable. Galloway led the NFL (among receivers with 100 or more targets) with 17.1 yards per catch and was tied for third with six receptions of 40 yards or more. He caught just 44 percent of the balls thrown his way, but that’s understandable given the quarterbacking situation and that he was running routes further down the field. Galloway still possesses elite speed, and he’s lightning quick in and out of his breaks. At 5-11, 197, Galloway’s not particularly big, and he’s not going to go over the middle often. Durability had always been an issue for him earlier in his career, but he’s played all 16 games in consecutive years. Galloway won’t have to suffer through another year with Gradkowski, as Chris Simms is returning from a spleen injury and veteran Jeff Garcia will compete with him for the starting quarterback job in camp. Neither one is Steve Young circa 1994, but we’d expect Galloway to see better balls thrown his way in 2007. Just keep in mind that he’ll turn 36.
After not posting a 1,000-yard season since 1998, Galloway improbably broke through for a career year at age 34. The reason for Galloway’s success isn’t a secret, even in NFL old age, the guy can run with just about anyone in the league, and his quickness and change-of-direction skills make him dangerous after the catch. And despite getting off to a fast start with Brian Griese under center, Galloway wasn’t hurt much by the switch to Chris Simms, posting three 100-yard games after Simms took over in Week 8 and scoring six of his 10 touchdowns. With Simms returning more experienced in 2006, his rapport with Galloway should only get better. Galloway was the seventh-most targeted receiver in the league last season, and health permitting, that shouldn’t change a whole lot with only forgotten man Michael Clayton and veteran possession receiver Ike Hilliard to compete with for catches. Galloway was targeted just 12 times in the red zone a year ago, converting three into scores, and he had just three receptions of 40 yards or more all season. Which means that at least seven of his touchdowns came from between 20 and 40 yards out, something to keep in mind in leagues that reward even moderate distance scoring.
Galloway missed half the 2004 season due to injury, but when he was active, he was a legitimate deep threat for Brian Griese and the Bucs. He's always an injury risk, so you don't dare draft him high, but he's got upside as an end-game pick if he stays healthy.
Galloway will be the third wideout, at least, for the Bucs in 2004, and as their only deep threat, he's got a good threat to rack up home-run numbers. He'll also get a chance to be the Bucs' number one kick returner.
While there was nothing wrong with Galloway's final numbers from last year (908 yards, six touchdowns), it really was a tale of two seasons -- all of his touchdowns, and 63 percent of his yards, came in home games. Will Galloway's somewhat erratic work ethic and on-again, off-again production fly now that Bill Parcells is in town? The Cowboys have other legitimate options at receiver (Antonio Bryant, Terry Glenn) if Parcells and Galloway don't hit it off.
