Cowboys midseason stock report: Jalen Tolbert missing in action after 8 games
By Randy Gurzi
Stock Way Up: Noah Brown, Wide Receiver
When the season began, Michael Gallup was still unable to suit up following an ACL tear in 2021. Also out was James Washington, who still has yet to play for Dallas. That meant outside of Lamb, the No. 2 wideout was going to be Noah Brown — which was a bit unnerving since he had never topped 184 yards in a season and had no career touchdowns.
That’s since changed for the former seventh-round pick as he answered the call when needed. Brown had a great debut with 68 yards on five receptions and then caught all five targets in Week 2 for 91 yards while scoring his first career touchdown.
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With Gallup back, his targets have gone down but he’s proven to be a reliable weapon. Brown has 25 catches on the season with 16 of them going for first downs. He’s also secured career a high in yardage (339) and is catching the ball at a 64.1 percent rate, which is also a personal best.
He’s not going to be a No. 1 guy but he’s someone that can make the clutch reception and is a beast in run blocking.
Stock Way Down: Jalen Tolbert, Wide Receiver
As impressive as Brown has been, Dallas was never supposed to turn to him in such a role. While Gallup was out, they expected rookie third-round pick Jalen Tolbert to rise to the occasion. The idea was that he would be the No. 3 guy behind Lamb and Washington but when Washington went down, he needed to step into a larger role.
Tolbert was unable to do so as he struggled throughout the preseason and has now been active for only four games. In those four games, he has just two targets — one was a drop and the other went for four yards.
The South Alabama product felt like a steal in Round 3 but now it’s fair to ask what his future holds since he couldn’t crack the rotation on a poor wide receiving corps.
