Early look at the Cowboys training camp battles for 2023
By Randy Gurzi
With the 2023 NFL Draft behind us and minicamps beginning soon, it's time to start thinking about roster battles. For the Dallas Cowboys, they have the majority of their starting positions locked up but that doesn't mean there won't be some battles worth keeping an eye on.
Most will be for depth positions, but there could also be some battles just to keep a spot on the 53-man roster. However serious the battle is, here's an early look at four to keep an eye on.
4 Cowboys training camp battles to watch in 2023
4. Simi Fehoko vs Jalen Tolbert for WR4
After a frustrating rookie campaign, it's easy to forget about Jalen Tolbert. A third-round pick in 2022, he was supposed to be a contributor right away, especially with Michael Gallup out early as he recovered from an ACL surgery. That ended up not happening as Tolbert had just two receptions for 12 yards.
In fact, the most noise he made all year was when he had an inexcusable offensive offsides penalty in their overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert was called for offside. The problem was not that he failed to check with the down judge. It was that he waited. Tolbert didn't look over until 11 seconds left on play clock. Snap came at nine. He moved too little, too late. Learning experience for rookie. pic.twitter.com/xlt23GbBhh
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) November 14, 2022
Heading into the 2023 season, the coaches are prepared to give Tolbert another shot. It's far too early to give up on a third-round pick, but they also won't hand him anything. Especially if Simi Fehoko looks better during camp.
Fehoko, a fifth-round pick in 2021, had three catches for 24 yards in his second season. He was also a preseason star, performing much better than Tolbert a year ago.
Tolbert has the speed advantage but Fehoko is no snail and he offers a big target at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds. This should end up being a fun competition to keep an eye on.