The receiving corps is one area of the Cowboys offense where we can reasonably say that it is doing rather well.
There are undoubtedly concerns—CeeDee Lamb hasn’t participated in training camp, and the roster is thin—but at least Lamb is under contract, and in the last two months, the player they hoped to see land the No. 3 spot, Jaleen Tolbert, has performed admirably. As the NFL season gets underway, Tolbert might be one of the players to keep an eye on.
The Cowboys are hopeful that going into Year 3, after putting up nothing in his first two seasons, he is ready for a big year.
There are hints that this might occur. In an attempt to build a rapport with quarterback Dak Prescott, Tolbert has spent the summer attempting to get as much information as he can about the quarterback.
For a rookie receiver, that’s always a good plan, especially as he takes over as the number three receiver in place of Michael Gallup, who was dismissed and ultimately retired after failing to connect with Prescott recently. Tolbert will have a lot on his plate.
The hosts of the “Locked on Cowboys” podcast also made a “bold” prediction regarding the 2017 season: in addition to Tolbert breaking out, they saw a change in the depth chart, with Tolbert replacing Brandon Cooks, who has six seasons with 1,000 yards or more, as the team’s No.
“Jalen Tolbert Is WR2 in the End” It’s not a ridiculous idea.
In the podcast episode titled “6 BOLD Predictions For 2024 Dallas Cowboys Including Pro Bowl RB Rico Dowdle?!?” presenter Marcus Mosher outlined his thoughts.
Cooks’ job is set up for success because he turns 31 this month, will be a free agency in 2023 (he is in the final year of a two-year, $40 million contract he signed with the Texans before being moved to Dallas), and averaged a career-low 41.4 yards per game in 2023.
For a few different reasons, I believe Jalen Tolbert will wind up as this team’s number two wide receiver, according to Mosher. First and foremost, I believe Jalen Tolbert will have a breakthrough season.
We witnessed that on occasion last season; we witnessed him have an excellent training camp and preseason, and as the season progressed, the regular season performance improved.
He was practically given the whole preseason off by the Cowboys, indicating that he is prepared for a major role. Entering the Third Year.
Because CeeDee moves around and everyone else must move around in a McCarthy scheme, I just believe that Tolbert’s adaptability and versatility make a lot of sense.
Cowboys Waiting for Someone to Step Up However, there’s also cause for caution. Tolbert missed his chance to take the No.
3 receiver’s position the previous season. Tolbert had single-digit snap counts in five of the first six weeks of the season, but he eventually reached 20 snaps per week.
Despite this, Tolbert finished the season with just 22 catches, 268 yards, and 35 targets. Tolbert needs to develop more before he can take the next step in the Cowboys offense.
To Cooks’ credit, he has been there for Tolbert off the field, even though he isn’t about to give up his position on the field.
Early in the offseason, Cooks told NFL.com, “He’s not shy anymore. The way that he’s able to talk about a route or the way he’s able to tell the quarterback the way he sees things, he’s not shy anymore.”
It’s amazing to watch him develop in that area. He can approach Dak (Prescott) and say, ‘Hey, I saw it this way.
“He’s prepared to leave. I can assure you that he will surpass all expectations placed on him. He’s prepared.
Sports journalist Sean Deveney has extensive experience covering the NBA, NFL, and MLB. With over 20 years of NBA coverage experience, including 17 years as the lead NBA correspondent for Sporting News, he has been writing for Heavy since 2019.
A writer of seven nonfiction books, Deveney is the author of “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.”