It’s not that Jalen Tolbert has struggled or looked particularly bad in the two years since he has come out of South Alabama as a third-round NFL draft pick of the Cowboys in 2022. It’s just that he has, a little too easily, blended into the background during his time with the team.
Case in point: The Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver job was essentially open last season when Michael Gallup continued to struggle to find production in the role. Tolbert had the opportunity to seize the job, but did not do so. After getting single-digit snap counts in five of the first six weeks of the season, Tolbert topped 20 snaps every week from there, but still wound up with just 22 catches, 268 yards and 35 targets on the year.
Gallup was still the No. 3. Tolbert was still on the fringe of the receiver’s unit, still not the guy quarterback Dak Prescott looked for when he needed a target.
In Year 3, Tolbert does not want that to happen again. He said this week that he has done what he can to stick like glue to Prescott in the offseason, making sure the quarterback knows Tolbert can be his go-to-guy.
As Tolbert said this week, according to the Dallas Morning-News, if Prescott needs to throw—or if he needs anything, really—Tolbert has a two-word response for him:
“I’m there.”
Jalen Tolbert’s Opportunity Is There in Year 3
Tolbert earned six starts last season out of his 17 appearances, but in 2024, he is in line to start the whole way through now that the team has released Gallup, who has since signed with the Raiders. By all rights, Tolbert is the first option for the No. 3 wide receiver job, even as speculation has been rampant that the Cowboys could/should bring in another veteran in free agency—Hunter Renfrow or Michael Thomas, for example.
There’s also speculation that an in-house option, like KaVontae Turpin or sixth-round pick Ryan Flournoy, could leapfrog him on the depth chart. But Tolbert said he is entering the 2024 season having worked out extensively with Prescott and having rebuilt his confidence in the process.
“My confidence is through the roof,’’ Tolbert said, per the DM-N. “Having fun in what you’re doing, being confident in what you’re doing.
“Continue to build that chemistry with Dak and my teammates as well and showing my value in his offense.’’
Cowboys Teammate: ‘He’s Going to Crush It’
Tolbert said that rebuilding his confidence not only was a matter of working with Prescott, but was also a case of getting back to basics. He had to remind himself that he was a clear No. 1 back in his collegiate days, with an astounding 82 catches for 1,474 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games in his senior season. He had also impressed personnel folks at the Senior Bowl that winter.
“My rookie year, I think I had lost every bit,’’ Tolbert said of his confidence. “I was thinking way more than I should instead of just going out there and having fun, knowing I belong here and am valuable at this level.
“That’s something I had to build back up.’’
Around The Star, Tolbert’s improvement has not gone unnoticed. Tolbert also did more to soak up lessons from veteran Brandin Cooks this offseason, and Cooks came away impressed.
“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,” Cooks said, per NFL.com. “He’s able to go up to Dak (Prescott) and say, ‘Hey, I seen it this way,’ and it’s awesome to see him grow in that aspect.
“He’s ready to go. Whatever the expectation is for him out there, I’m telling you he’s going to crush it. He’s ready.”
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