It’s kind of wild to think, given the current sorry state of the Dallas Cowboys, that just 2 years ago the team had a 4,500 yard passer (Dak Prescott), 1,000-yard rusher (Tony Pollard) and 1,700 yard wide receiver (CeeDee Lamb).
Now, it’s a team on the rebuild and holding out hope it can bounce back from a 7-10 season in 2024 that saw a pair of NFC East rivals square off in the NFC Championship Game with the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and upstart Washington Commanders. Those are also 2 teams very much in the Super Bowl conversation again in 2025.
While the Cowboys are used to going back and forth with the Eagles for NFC East supremacy — the New York Giants haven’t been a serious threat for over a decade — the idea of competing with the Commanders and superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels twice a year is a new and terrifying prospect.
All of that means, like it or not, much of the roster for the Cowboys could be in flux at any given point. That’s why Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine listed last season’s second leading wide receiver, Jalen Tolbert, as the team’s top trade asset headed into mandatory minicamp and training camp.
Tolbert was also the only offensive player Ballentine put on his list of trade assets.
“The Cowboys finally made the kind of splashy move that fans have clamored for when they traded for George Pickens,” Ballentine wrote on May 22. “Bringing in the young receiver finally gives CeeDee Lamb an intriguing sidekick, but it doesn’t leave Dallas without questions.”
Tolbert Shook Off Slow Start for Breakout Season
Tolbert, 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, was a third round pick (No. 88 overall) by the Cowboys in the 2022 NFL draft out of South Alabama. He had 146 receptions for 2,559 yards and 16 touchdowns over his final 2 college seasons and was named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.
Tolbert solidified his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. He only had 39 receptions for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns across his first 2 NFL seasons before a breakout year in 2024 with 49 receptions for 610 yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 starts.
The upcoming season will be critical for Tolbert’s NFL future as he’s in the final season of his 4-year, $5.13 million rookie contract.
Tolbert Now Fourth or Fifth Option in Offense
If there’s one thing we know about NFL wide receivers, it’s that they have a hard time staying quiet — or content — when they’re not getting the ball.
With the addition of Pickens to the offense and what should be a resurgent year for Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson, that means Tolbert is, at the best, the fourth option in the Cowboys offense behind those 2 and Lamb, who is a 3-time NFL All-Pro and 4-time Pro Bowler through his first 5 seasons.
Take into account that the Cowboys are also desperate to develop a threat at running back and selected 2 players at that position in the 2025 NFL draft with Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah — and signed a free agent starter off another team in Javonte Williams — and we see a scenario where Tolbert actually ends up as the fifth option.
