Cowboys Camp: Rookie Jalen Tolbert Locked in as Starter?

In our conversations with people here inside The Star, the expectation is that third-round rookie Tolbert will be a Week 1 starter.

FRISCO - The truth about rookie Jalen Tolbert as training camp approached? He's about to be asked to serve as a starting wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys ...

Whether he's ready or not.

Whether anybody likes it or not.

The Cowboys created a hole in the wideout room with the trade-dump of Amari Cooper, and they have a gigantic belief in CeeDee Lamb becoming a dominant force at the position.

But beyond that? This group is dotted with hopefuls and question marks.

The transition would be made much more simple if Michael Gallup wasn't slated to spent most of August in knee rehab. And maybe it'll also be made to seem smooth if young veteran James Washington, the Steelers ex, moves up from the level at which he played in Pittsburgh.

But in our conversations with people here inside The Star, the expectation is that third-round rookie Tolbert will be a Week 1 starter. In fact, we work on the assumption that he will be a Day 1 starter in Oxnard.

Tolbert, 23, closed his career at South Alabama with great productivity. In 2020, he posted a 1,000-yard season with eight touchdowns along the way. Last year, he caught 82 calls for 1,472 yards with 17.5 yards per catch.

That figures to translate to the NFL. Hopefully, soon.

Dallas believes the 6-3, 190-pounder is a "sky's the limit'' prospect, and Tolbert himself - due to spending most of his youth playing more baseball than football - says there is no ceiling on what he might accomplish.

That's lofty stuff, as is his fast connection with QB Dak Prescott. For now, we have no idea where this journey might take Tolbert. But we do think we know that the journey starts ... with him being a starter.

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