Cowboys Starting Playmaker in Danger of Being ‘Trade Bait,’ Says Analyst

The Dallas Cowboys waited well into the NFL offseason to address the wide receiver position, but the team’s sizable trade for George Pickens could spell trouble for some veterans on the roster. Pickens will likely slide into the team’s WR2 role alongside CeeDee Lamb.

Beyond these two receivers, questions surround how the Cowboys depth chart will shake out. Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Tolbert, Kavontae Turpin, Parris Campbell and Ryan Flournoy are among the veterans who will be fighting for snaps. In some cases, these wideouts could also be battling for a roster spot in training camp.

USA Today’s K.D. Drummond suggests that the Cowboys’ acquisition of Pickens may mean the franchise will look to trade Tolbert.

“Tolbert aligned as both an X and a Z last year, but with Pickens’ addition, he is more likely destined for a more clearly defined role as a Z,” Drummond wrote in a May 8, 2025, story titled, “Jobs in Jeopardy: George Pickens trade puts these Cowboys wideouts on notice.” “That is, if he is on the club. The composition of the wideout unit hints that Tolbert could become trade bait as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.

“Dallas spent a 2025 fourth-round pick to acquire Jonathan Mingo from Carolina last season. Mingo is a much different body type than any other receiver in the Cowboys’ WR corps. Lamb and Pickens stand 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3, respectively, and both check in at 200 pounds. Tolbert is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, while Ryan Flournoy is the same height and 200 pounds, though visually and play-style wise is a much thicker wideout.”

Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert Is Coming Off a Career Best Season

After a slow start to his NFL career, Tolbert’s third year became the wideout’s breakout season. Tolbert posted career-high numbers with 49 catches for 610 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.

The wideout played in all 17 games for Dallas in 2024, making 15 starts. Now, Tolbert will be fighting to be the Cowboys WR3 given the addition of Pickens.

If Tolbert is indeed used as “trade bait,” what could the wide receiver net Dallas via trade? It is difficult to imagine Tolbert landing more than a future Day 3 draft pick. With such a low potential return, the Cowboys may be wise to keep Tolbert given wide receiver has not been a position with massive depth for Dallas in recent years.

Tolbert is heading into the final season of a four-year, $5.1 rookie contract. This reality does not help Tolbert’s trade value with the playmaker in line for a new deal.

George Pickens on Cowboys Star CeeDee Lamb: ‘We Can Work Off Each Other’

As for Pickens, the newest Cowboys receiver sounds excited to play alongside Lamb. Dak Prescott may be even more thrilled as the quarterback will have a bit more weapons to utilize in 2025.

“It excites me a lot, because in the game of football, we can work off each other,” Pickens said of Lamb, per DallasCowboys.com. “There’s no ‘Oh he gets the ball, I get the ball,’ we’re working off each other.

“That’s why I always come back to building a winning culture, and that’s kind of what we’ve been talking about in Dallas.”