The Dallas Cowboys made a big splash this offseason when they traded for George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the move may have opened the door for them to trade one of their breakout players from last season.
Going into 2024, Jalen Tolbert had 280 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons. Last year, he posted 610 receiving yards and seven touchdowns for the Cowboys. He was expected to be the No.2 option behind CeeDee Lamb until the team acquired Pickens. Now, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport suggests they trade Tolbert before the season starts.
Tolbert was not upset that the Cowboys added Pickens, essentially pushing him down the depth chart. He spoke to reporters about the trade earlier in the offseason.
“I actually was at the facility. I mean, I love it,” Tolbert told reporters in May. “I’ve known GP for a while. It adds more firepower to us. Honestly, that’s what we need. That’s going to be the fun part because you can’t guard all three of us or four or five, whoever is out there. Having another piece to the puzzle is special. I’m ready to work, compete off of each other, continue to keep growing.”
Despite Tolbert’s excitement to play with Pickens, he is no longer as valuable to the Cowboys. The Cowboys are going to run their offense through Pickens and Lamb, meaning Tolbert could be turned into draft capital via trade.
“However, the arrival of Pickens also makes Tolbert, who caught 49 passes for 610 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, one of the more expendable players on the roster,” wrote Davenport. “Sure, Dallas isn’t exactly overflowing with depth at wide receiver. But it also makes sense for the Cowboys to try to get the ball into the hands of speedster KaVontae Turpin more in 2025. Several teams are worse off at wideout than Dallas, and with Tolbert entering the last year of his rookie deal, the argument can be made for shopping him.”