3 Cowboys headed for bigger roles in 2023 after first wave of free agency

2. Jalen Tolbert, WR

Last year, the Cowboys decided to make a bold move with their wide receivers as they elected to trade Amari Cooper in order to shed some salary. This paved the way for CeeDee Lamb to become a much bigger star but they left themselves thin outside of the third-year pro.

James Washington, their main free agency addition at the position, did nothing but drop a pass and Michael Gallup never looked like himself after returning from a torn ACL. They did have rookie third-round pick Jalen Tolbert, but he was a non-factor with just two catches on the year.

Had it not been for the ascension of Noah Brown, the passing attack would have been incredibly ugly.

Heading into 2023, they no longer have Brown to lean on as he signed with the Houston Texans. Dallas is said to be interested in Jerry Jeudy but with a high asking price and several teams interested, they’re surely going to find a way out of that rumor mill before long.

That brings us back to Tolbert.

A third-round pick out of South Alabama in 2022, Tolbert has become a forgotten man following his frustrating rookie campaign. Perhaps that shouldn’t be the case. He did, after all, play for a small school program which means he likely needs time to adjust to the speed of the NFL game.

Barring a surprising move or the use of a Round 1 pick on a wideout, Tolbert is currently set up for a much larger role in 2023. Whether or not he can rise to the challenge has yet to be seen.