Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert had a disappointing rookie season, but the 2022 third-round pick’s second summer with the team has been more promising.
Tolbert regularly drew positive reviews during training camp practices and his four catches for 66 yards in Saturday night’s game against the Seahawks were another strong showing. Tolbert only had two catches as a rookie and said after Saturday’s game that the improved results are a result of his growing confidence in himself.
“I am just building on what I have been trying to build on the whole training camp,” Tolbert said, via a transcript from the Seahawks. “Continuing to grow and build confidence in playing, and playing fast. It was fun to go out there, compete and show what I can do.”
Head coach Mike McCarthy also cited confidence as the reason why Tolbert has put together more impressive results than he did last season.
“Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, just the confidence number one,” McCarthy said. “It just jumps off the field. I think that’s really attributed to his hard work. He’s had a heck of an offseason. He’s cashing in on opportunities. He’s going up and making plays. I like the instinct of plays, the scramble plays, the extended plays. So I just think it shows you how much he’s grown. He’s on the same page as the quarterbacks, so I thought he had a nice night.”
CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup are the top three wideouts in Dallas. Tolbert’s summer has him in position for the No. 4 job. Should his confidence continue to grow, that role might expand as well.
