The Dallas Cowboys have registered three straight 12-win campaigns, but it hasn’t resulted in much playoff success, as they have won just one playoff game over those three seasons. However, the Cowboys’ roster is still one of the most talented in the NFL heading into 2024, and it goes beyond their superstars.
We know about quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons. Those guys are all studs. Let’s also not forget about Trevon Diggs, who was one of the league’s best cornerbacks before tearing his ACL last season.
But what about the guys who aren’t household names?
Here are a couple of Cowboys players who aren’t all that well-known but could end up playing a major role in a potential big season for Dallas in 2024.
Jalen Tolbert, WR
The Cowboys don’t have a lot of proven receiving depth behind Lamb. They signed Brandin Cooks last year, but he was a fairly significant disappointment in 2023. Michael Gallup simply couldn’t recover from injuries and was released earlier this offseason. That leaves a lot of young players with huge opportunities.
Jalen Tolbert is one of them.
Dallas selected Tolbert in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He logged just two catches for 12 yards during his rookie campaign, but last year, he started to show signs of life, catching 22 passes for 268 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
Obviously, Tolbert has a long way to go, but there is no doubt that he showed flashes in 2023.
The 25-year-old will definitely get chances this coming season, as the Cowboys badly need production behind Lamb at the position.
At 6-foot-1 and around 200 pounds, Tolbert has solid size for the position, and while he isn’t exactly Tyreek Hill, he has decent enough athleticism to create separation. He is one of those receivers who does a little bit of everything well, but nothing great. And you know what? That’s okay. Dallas doesn’t need him to be a No. 1 receiver. It has Lamb for that. It just needs him to be a consistent producer, and he certainly has the talent to fill that nice.
This also may be Tolbert’s last chance to prove himself. The Cowboys didn’t add any wide receivers in free agency, and they didn’t use a high draft choice on one. That could mean they are betting on the South Alabama product heading into 2024.
Osa Odighizuwa, DL
The Cowboys have some big names on defense. We already mentioned two of them in Parsons and Diggs. But there are also DeMarcus Lawrence and DaRon Bland, plus free-agent addition Eric Kendricks.
But one player who really flies under the radar is defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa.
Odighizuwa doesn’t post huge numbers, but he absolutely makes an impact. He played in every game and registered 46 tackles and three sacks last season, earning himself a very impressive 81.4 grade from Pro Football Focus. Additionally, PFF referred to him as a “secret superstar,” which certainly makes sense for a hidden gem. He even finished 12th in PFF’s pass-rush grade, indicating that he was a dominant interior force in spite of not racking up many sacks.
The UCLA product was selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He instantly became a starter during his rookie campaign, logging 36 tackles and a couple of sacks. He then showed some progression in 2022, finishing with 43 stops, four sacks and a forced fumbles.
Odighizuwa does a little bit of everything. He stuffs the run, he absorbs multiple blockers in the pass rush and he lays hits on opposing quarterbacks, having totaled 35 quarterback hits over his first three seasons.
He isn’t flashy, but most defensive tackles aren’t. We’ll see if the 25-year-old’s dominance begins to reflect in his stat line in 2024.
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