The Dallas Cowboys have several starters hitting free agency in March, but not everyone has earned another contract with the team. Jalen Tolbert leads that charge on the offensive side, and Dallas can't ignore the signs he's shown them over the last four seasons.
They should just let him walk in free agency instead of bringing him back for the 2026 campaign. There are multiple reasons why this move is the right one, and Dallas can't afford to look past them.
Cowboys Need to Let Jalen Tolbert Walk in Free Agency
The Cowboys drafted Tolbert in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft and believed they were getting a weapon that would develop into a quality starter for them. Yet, they were left disappointed. The 27-year-old has appeared in 55 games for Dallas, making 30 starts.
In those outings, he's compiled 91 catches for 1,093 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. His best season came in 2024, when he had 610 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, but he came back down to earth this past season, making it clear to everyone in Dallas that the time to move on is now.
Last season, he finished with 203 receiving yards and one score, notching his third campaign with less than 275 receiving yards. Dallas also saw Ryan Flournoy take a step forward in his growth, racking up 40 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. That's without mentioning that KaVontae Turpin is a dynamic returner with flashes as a receiver. In the last two seasons, Turpin had 816 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys extended CeeDee Lamb in 2024 and plan to place the franchise tag on George Pickens, which will pay Pickens $27.2 million in 2026 if both sides can't agree on an extension. With two receivers slated to make $27 million plus, the Cowboys must have cheap backups who can step up if needed.
And Tolbert hasn't shown he can do that. He's watched as Turpin and Flournoy leapfrogged him on the depth chart. Spotrac doesn't project Tolbert to get a big deal, expecting him to sign a one-year, $3.8 million deal, but there's no reason to bring back a receiver who has been ineffective in three of his four seasons with the team.
Instead, they can close the door on this chapter and look ahead. When Dallas nabbed Tolbert in the third round, they had faith he would be a nice part of the receiver rotation, but that never materialized. With Lamb, Pickens, Turpin, and Flournoy locked penciled in as their top four WRs, they are better off taking a swing on Day 3 to add another WR to this room or adding another low-cost free agent, but there's no reason to bring back Tolbert.