5 Cowboys on Thin Ice Despite Surviving Roster Cuts

4. Jalen Tolbert, WR

CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks will open the season as the Cowboys' top wide receivers, however, the pecking order beyond the duo is up for debate. When it comes to the WR3 role, many Dallas supporters are hoping that third-year playmaker Jalen Tolbert can step up to fill the job.

Tolbert, a former 2022 third-round pick, was a solid pass-catcher for America's Team last season. After an underwhelming rookie performance, the former South Alabama receiver turned 22 receptions into 268 receiving yards and two touchdowns across 17 games.

With that in mind, Tolbert could afford to work on his consistency. The 25-year-old WR may have tallied four performances of 49-plus receiving yards last season, but he also finished nine of his performances with fewer than 10 yards. He also went on two streaks where he failed to find the end zone for at least seven consecutive games.

Any Cowboys hoping to see if Tolbert's consistency improved have been left disappointed this summer. Mike McCarthy's staff opted to keep Tolbert (and the rest of the starters) out of the preseason action. In other words, we won't know if he made any serious leaps until Dallas faces the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.

With Lamb looking to ramp up following the end of his contract holdout and Cooks still being banged up, it's clear that Tolbert must elevate his performance, or else the passing attack could suffer.