FRISCO - The Jalen Tolbert story for the Dallas Cowboys is good for the soul, with the former South Alabama receiver enduring a tough start to his NFL career to now taking positive steps forward in his development.
That is to say, the true Jalen story - not the bogus one that is making the rounds of social media, victimizing an innocent athlete for no good reason.
Years, ago as he was making his heel turn from talented journalist to con-man provocateur, I posed a question to then-Dallas-based Skip Bayless.
"Why,'' I asked him, "do you have to make up incredible B.S. stories about the Cowboys when there is an endless number of real Cowboys stories to write about?"
Tolbert is an example of the latter.
Tolbert seemed to get out of his head and play faster and without the mental handbrake on, to the point where last season, Tolbert finished second among Cowboys in yards (610), third in receptions (49) and first in touchdowns (seven).
So Tolbert is a good story, but now the reality of NFL football is about to hit Jalen between the eyes. ... on the field, as in a way it just did off the field.
Somebody on X has created a fake boast pretending it's come from the mouth of Tolbert, pretending it just happened on live local radio and pretending that Jalen said ...
“I’m ready to show the world I’m the best WR in the NFL. The Cowboys have the best WR duo in the league with myself and CeeDee. He’s the Robin to my Batman and the NFL gonna see it.”
Incredible? Yes. Incredible B.S.? Absolutely. Tolbert said no such thing. He didn't even do an interview with the station.
It's all made up.
I'm not smart enough to understand the benefits of creating this lie. But 100,000 people have seen that tweet.
Maybe more people will see this story and understand that Tolbert's challenges shouldn't be about online hate, but rather, about on-field improvement.
Entering the final year of his rookie contract, coupled with Dallas looking at possibly drafting a receiver in the first round or trading for an established star, Tolbert, who many see as a No. 3 receiver anyway, needs to show he is worthy of sticking around beyond 2025.
Maybe Rico Dowdle is a cautionary tale that Tolbert should pay attention to. Fresh off his first 1,000-yard season as the lead back for Dallas last year, the franchise didn't see value in bringing back Rico, instead going with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders.
Tolbert is coming off his best-ever season, but now is the time to double down and take his role on the offense under Brian Schottenheimer to a new level.
With no Brandon Cooks here (he just signed with the Saints), if Dallas drafts/trades for a receiver, then Tolbert, as the third option, must produce for Dak Prescott and the passing game.
While everyone loves a feel-good story, the NFL is a results business, and Jalen needs to prove he's worthy of staying beyond this final contractual year of 2025 - with all of this happening with proper focus on the task and not on the trolls.
