The Dallas Cowboys don’t seem like a team that can withstand a ton of injuries and keep winning games. Especially when those injuries start taking out NFL All-Pro talent like wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
For a team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they can withstand that sort of loss. Losing NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chris Godwin meant there was still an NFL All-Pro wide receiver on the field in Mike Evans. Losing Evans meant there was still a first round pick on the field in Emeka Egbuka.
The Cowboys don’t have that. Instead, they’ll need players like wide receivers Jalen Tolbert and 2-time NFL All-Pro return specialist Kavontae Turpin to step up with Lamb possibly out up to 4 weeks with a high ankle sprain suffered in a Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks Tolbert will likely have the biggest role in seeing the Cowboys succeed with Lamb out as the Cowboys face down a string of 6 highly winnable games before their bye in Week 10 that starts with a marquee, Sunday Night Football matchup against the Green Bay Packers and former Cowboys superstar Micah Parsons in Week 4 in Dallas.
As the Cowboys‘ No. 2 wideout last season, Tolbert logged career highs in multiple receiving categories, recording 49 catches for 610 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns,” Moton wrote on September 23. “Through three weeks, Tolbert has seen a steady increase in his snap count. The inside-outside receiver should be on the field for most of the offensive plays in Lamb’s absence. Return specialist KaVontae Turpin will likely see more targets in the passing game as well.
For Jalen Tolbert with the game on the line, a perfect route beat perfect coverage.
#NFLTurningPoint | @LRiddickESPNTolbert Coming Off Breakout Year in 2024
Tolbert, 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, was a third round pick (No. 88 overall) by the Cowboys in the 2022 NFL draft out of South Alabama. He had 146 receptions for 2,559 yards and 16 touchdowns over his final 2 college seasons and was named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.
Tolbert solidified his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. He only had 39 receptions for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns across his first 2 NFL seasons before a breakout year in 2024 with 49 receptions for 610 yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 starts.
The 2025 season is critical for Tolbert’s future as he’s in the final season of his 4-year, $5.13 million rookie contract and could attract decent money on the free agent market — think something along the lines of an average annual salary of around $10 million per year.
Tolbert has just 6 receptions for 40 yards and no touchdowns through the Cowboys‘ first 3 games in 2025.
Pickens Trade Spelled Reduced Role for Tolbert
Tolbert was essentially reduced to the WR3 role after the Cowboys made a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for wide receiver George Pickens in May.
Pickens, like Tolbert, is in the final year of his rookie contract and playing for a possible big payday — way bigger than Tolbert. If Pickens can show he’s a capable WR1 option with Lamb out, it could result in a deal in the range of a 4-year, $100 million contract when he hits free agency following the season.
Cowboys 7-TD Standout Targeted for ‘Increased Snap Count’