3 Cowboys who could lose starting job to a rookie in 2022
By Jerry Trotta
1. Noah Brown/James Washington
Brown soared up the Cowboys’ WR pecking order after Amari Cooper got traded. With Michael Gallup recovering from a torn ACL and a long shot to be cleared for training camp, Brown was No. 2 on the depth chart for multiple weeks. Then, Dallas signed James Washington in free agency, which likely demoted Brown to his familiar slot role as the third receiver behind Lamb and Washington.
Following the selection of South Alabama star Jalen Tolbert in the third round, however, Brown and Washington are now in jeopardy of losing their starting jobs. While the WR3 role is (temporarily) up for grabs while Gallup works his way back, Brown and Washington will be WR4 and 5 when Dallas is back to full strength.
The general consensus is Tolbert will have the biggest role of the Cowboys’ rookie class, including Smith and second-rounder Sam Williams, who faces an uphill climb to earn snaps given the team’s assortment of edge rushers.
Tolbert already impressed the coaching staff at rookie camp and he could very well open his rookie campaign as Dak Prescott’s No. 3 target behind CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz if everything goes according to plan. Even if Gallup is back, Tolbert should be ahead of Washington and Brown on the depth chart.
