It’s been three years since the Cowboys drafted Jalen Tolbert out of Michigan State in the third round of the NFL draft. In that time, he has shown some glimpses of being a capable part of a wide receiver rotation, but he has not established himself as the WR2 the Cowboys so desperately wanted him to be alongside CeeDee Lamb.
Tolbert has tallied 73 catches in his time in the NFL, with 49 of those catches coming last year. He has averaged 21.2 yards per game in his Cowboys career, making him an ideal No. 3 or 4 option. With George Pickens aboard, though, there’s plenty of questions about whether Dallas should keep Tolbert at all. He will be a free agent after the 2025 season.
The Cowboys’ depth chart is not bustling at receiver, but the team did trade for Jonathan Mingo at last year’s NFL deadline, and there is obviously some intention to get the ball to him. The same can be said of diminutive speedster Kavontae Turpin, who was given a three-year, $13.5 million contract this offseason ($5 million guaranteed) and is expected to have a bigger role in the offense to reflect it.
The Cowboys also signed veteran Parris Campbell, and have two late-round picks from 2023 and 2024–Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy– on hand.
Cowboys Trading Jalen Tolbert Makes Some Sense
But it is, perhaps, time to let Tolbert free and see if he can improve elsewhere–it just has not happened in Dallas.
That’s the suggestion from Bleacher Report, which tabbed a player for each team to look to deal on Tuesday. Tolbert was the guy for the Cowboys.
Wrote the site’s Gary Davenport: “The arrival of Pickens also makes Tolbert, who caught 49 passes for 610 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, one of the more expendable players on the roster. Sure, Dallas isn’t exactly overflowing with depth at wide receiver. But it also makes sense for the Cowboys to try to get the ball into the hands of speedster KaVontae Turpin more in 2025.
“Several teams are worse off at wideout than Dallas, and with Tolbert entering the last year of his rookie deal, the argument can be made for shopping him.”
Tolbert’s cap hit is $3.6 million, which is not hefty, but could be useful as the Cowboys figure out how to pay Micah Parsons and perhaps squeeze in another addition as the summer progresses.
