3 Cowboys Starters Who Will Be Benched this Season
By Randy Gurzi
The Dallas Cowboys are set to face the Cleveland Browns on the road in Week 1 of the 2024 season . After going 12-5 but just 4-5 while traveling, Dallas is looking for a big road victory against an AFC playoff team.
With it being a new year, the Cowboys will be undergoing some changes. They didn’t do much in free agency but there are still several new starters on both sides of the ball.
By season’s end, there could be even more changes. That’s our focus here as we identify three starters who could be benched down the road.
NOTE: Caelen Carson is one of four rookies expected to start in Week 1. As a fill-in for an injured DaRon Bland, he won’t be mentioned here.
3. Jalen Tolbert, WR
As the third wide receiver, Jalen Tolbert should start the majority of the games for Dallas. Or at least he will early on.
The Cowboys didn’t add any veteran free agents following the release of Michael Gallup which gave Tolbert the inside track to the job. He held off Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy who both played well in training camp and the preseason.
Heading into the regular season, however, he’s not going to be able to rest on that victory.
Tolbert, a third-round pick from 2022, is entering his third season in the league and is still developing as a player with just 24 career receptions. Both Brooks (year two) and Flournoy (rookie) have shown more progress at their respective points than Tolbert had. If that pace continues either player could leapfrog Tolbert and become the new WR3.