5 Cowboys Most Likely to Be Inactive vs Chargers on Monday Night Football

3. Jalen Brooks

Jalen Brooks got a crack at the roster in Week 2 when Brandin Cooks was sidelined by a sprained MCL, opening up a spot on the receiving corps.

Cooks quickly returned to action, however, leaving Brooks the odd man out in the receiver room. It didn't help that he failed to make much of an impression in his first career game, appearing on 15 offensive snaps and 13 special teams snaps but not receiving a single target.

The 23-year-old rookie apparently hasn't shown enough in practice since then to merit a roster spot, and it's not hard to see why. Dallas' receiving corps is already packed with talented pass-catchers like Cooks, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and others, leaving little room for Brooks to make an impact.

And while his ability to play on special teams as well is appreciated, he just hasn't shown he has what it takes to make a significant contribution in an NFL game yet.

There's still time for the seventh-round pick to get another chance and do that, but not this week. The Cowboys can't afford to try to break him in against the talented Chargers in what should be a close game. They were able to do so in Week 2 against the hapless New York Jets where Dallas was heavily favored anyways, but that's not the case here.

Brooks needs to keep working on his game if he wants to get back on an NFL field at some point in 2023.