When analyzing who was the disappointment among the rookies chosen by the Cowboys in the 2022 Draft, many agree on choosing receiver Jalen Tolbert. The South Alabama product, chosen in the third round, generated high expectations for the regular season. This, in part, due to his performance in camp and his private training sessions with quarterback Dak Prescott.
However, Tolbert’s reality was different. In his rookie year, the young receiver wasn’t the immediate complement Dallas was hoping for on offense, especially after the departure of Amari Cooper. In eight games, including one start, Tolbert had just two receptions for 12 yards. In fact, most memorable (and not in a good way) was his offensive penalty against the Packers in Week 10 that negated a first down by running back Tony Pollard in overtime.
Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert was called for offside. The problem was not that he failed to check with the down judge. It was that he waited. Tolbert didn’t look over until 11 seconds left on play clock. Snap came at nine. He moved too little, too late. Learning experience for rookie. pic.twitter.com/xlt23GbBhh
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) November 14, 2022
Of course, this played into the overall performance of the Cowboys’ receiving corps last year. Aside from CeeDee Lamb, the players called to second him in the rotation (Michael Gallup, James Washington and Tolbert himself) fell short of expectations. Meanwhile, depth guys like Simi Fehoko and KaVontae Turpin didn’t get enough opportunities on offense.
Now, it’s true that the Cowboys brought in veteran TY Hilton as a solution to this problem late in the regular season. However, the excessive reliance on Lamb and running back Tony Pollard in offensive schemes ended up costing Dallas a berth to the conference finals. And this is a scenario that the cowboy leadership does not want to repeat.
Let’s take a look at the current panorama of the receiving corps. Heading into the 2023 campaign, a starting trio is expected consisting of Lamb, a Gallup more recovered from his injury last year and newcomer Brandin Cooks. Behind them, KaVontae Turpin would look to get more offensive involvement outside of his role on special teams. Also, let’s not forget that Noah Brown left as a free agent in mid-March.
This leaves two candidates for one or two spots at the bottom of the rotation: Jalen Tolbert and 2021 rookie Simi Fehoko. In Fehoko’s case, there is less pressure around him because he was injured during his first year in the NFL. And, in the end, Tolbert set much higher expectations than he did when he arrived in Dallas.
Let’s remember that Tolbert came to the team with a high bill after his performance in South Alabama. However, the 2022 rookie did not have a “route tree” in college football, instead he relied heavily on his speed and physique. Because of this, Tolbert basically had to learn how to play the position according to the demands of the professional level. And, as we saw, he just couldn’t be at the required level last year.
Due to these factors, Tolbert could face more pressure in 2023. Even more than Simi Fehoko. And that pressure would begin in training camp, when the fight to make the 53-man roster will be at its maximum.
Cowboys rookie WR Jalen Tolbert pic.twitter.com/etU6rpUmw1
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 28, 2022
In theory, there should be no problem getting both receivers onto the roster. In fact, Tolbert and Fehoko may be fourth and fifth receivers. Meanwhile, Turpin would be the sixth in the rotation, but with a fixed role on special teams. However, the Cowboys don’t seem willing to wait for Tolbert and Fehoko to explode this year. And less after the disappointment experienced last season due to the offensive limitations of the team.
We can intuit this from the prospects that the cowboy team has polled for this year’s Draft. Among the talents the Cowboys have tested are several top-rated receivers. And while it’s not certain Dallas will go for one of them in the first round, they just might in the second.
It may be too soon to think that Jalen Tolbert could be at risk of leaving Dallas this year. However, the South Alabama product will need to show improvement right away, especially in the preseason. Especially if the Cowboys can add another receiver through the Draft. If this finally happens, Tolbert would no longer be competing to be a starter like last year, but rather to not be left out of the roster of 53.
