4 underrated Cowboys players who could make a massive impact next season

3. Jalen Tolbert, WR

Dallas recently said goodbye to Michael Gallup, who never truly bounced back after suffering a torn ACL at the end of the 2021 season. Despite coming off his injury, the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns and signed Gallup to a five-year extension worth $62.5 million.

He played just two years after that with 424 yards receiving in 2022 and 418 in 2023. Dallas had to eat a lot of dead money to move on but it was a move they had to make.

Looking ahead to 2024, they have too many holes to believe they’re going to take a receiver early in the draft. That means their top three receivers will likely be CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Jalen Tolbert. Lamb is coming off a monster season and while Cooks started slow, he finished 2023 with 657 yards and eight touchdowns.

As for Tolbert, his stats were modest as he hauled in 22 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns. Still, it was a far better campaign than he had as a rookie — two receptions for 12 yards. Plus, the entire offense seemed better when he was elevated over Gallup near the end of the year.

Entering his third season, Tolbert has been overlooked. The loss of Gallup has led to speculation they need receiver help but he has a chance to prove himself capable. Don’t be surprised if he does exactly that and reminds us all why he was so highly revered when selected out of South Alabama just two years ago.