FRISCO -- Michael Gallup plays with such joy. He's smiling when he makes a catch. He's smiling when he catches a touchdown pass. He's smiling when he talks with his teammates. He smiles when he speaks with reporters.
Watching the Cowboys wide receiver develop into an ascending player is one of the this team's best story lines. When the Cowboys drafted him in the third round last year, the expectations were modest, but he morphed into a starter. As he enters Year 2, he's become one of quarterback Dak Prescott's go-to targets.
"I've seen him grow every day," wide receiver coach Sanjay Lal said. "He's much more mature as a football player. He's starting to understand the broad perspective of the game. How guys are trying to play him, how teams are trying to play him. It's not just about lining up right and running routes. Now he can expand his knowledge to what the game truly is. There's been a lot of growth."
And while Gallup was growing on the field, the 23-year-old had to mature off the field as well.
Gallup grew up in the Atlanta area. Last year when the Cowboys visited the Falcons, it was supposed to be a feel-good story. It turned tragic for the Gallup family as his younger brother committed suicide the day before the game. Gallup's sister, Jessica, informed him after the game. Gallup's mother, Jenny, was on a three-week mission trip when she discovered her son had passed via social media.
It was a terrible event that turned public for the close-knit family.
But it was football that kept Michael Gallup together.
"It was football helping me get through it," he said. "I asked my mom if I can come back and play [the next] game, and she was like 'That's fine.' If that's going to help me get through, it that's what I was going to do."
Related: 'It was very meaningful': Why Michael Gallup got the Cowboys' game ball after win over Washington
Gallup finished his season with 33 catches for 507 yards with two touchdowns. He didn't miss a game and made eight starts. In the offseason, Gallup went home to Monroe, Ga., to heal with his mourning family.
"It's always going to come up at a certain times," Gallup said of his brother's passing. "I was thinking about my brother the other day, just because it happened. I got to keep moving forward so my family can keep moving forward. I just got to be a strong person for them. That's how I see it."
Gallup comes from a diverse family of eight siblings. He's one of six who were adopted by Jenny Gallup. The family has two white kids, an African-American, two from India and three from Africa.
It's this large family that keeps Gallup grounded and focused on what's important outside of football. He's learned so much, not only as a football player but as a person.
"A lot of things you don't know about, so make sure you're talking to people in your family," Gallup said. "And make sure you're talking to everybody and really make sure you have a good attitude ... because it can flip just like that. Make sure you get a good picture about everything."
Maybe that's why Gallup plays with a smile. He's dealt with the hurt of losing a brother but also understands with the right support you can grieve and move forward.
"It's hard for me to speak to this," Jason Garrett said. "But that is a situation that is going to be with him and his family for the rest of their lives. Again, I thought he handled it beautifully at the outset and has handled it well. We try to provide resources for all of our players, certainly our players who go through a situation like that. He has been very, very strong. His family has been strong. They have tried their best to move on as best as they can. He certainly has done an excellent job for us."
Maturity is developed in different avenues. For NFL players it happens in such a public setting that gaining that maturity can be a struggle.
Gallup has seemed to find it in public and private.
"I'm good," he said. "As long as my family is good, I'm good."