How Much Confidence Do You Have in Jalen Tolbert?

[morasp]

I was thrilled when Tolbert fell to us in the third round and he should be a very good WR2 for us but if you're looking for him to step in and immediately replace Gallup and Washington until they get healthy you may be disappointed. Rookie WRs don't usually come in and light it up right away. We get the Bengals games here and Chase didn't, it took him a while. The FO would be silly not to look for a veteran WR to sign when teams cut down to their 53 man rosters.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I get what you’re saying but in our defense we won a playoff game in 2018 with Cooper as #1 and Gallup as #2 and he was a 3rd round rookie that year

We did but ultimately we lost in the 1st round like we do most years we make the playoffs. And who knows maybe they lose with a vet at receiver as well that year. Its like winning a SB with a rookie QB...when a big part of your team is youth....you gotta balance it out with some veterans. Cowboys are attempting to reinvent the wheel with young guys......

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I think we’ll be 3-0 or possibly 2-1. But I’m optimistic

They could be. I wouldn't argue against that either.

 

[Havic]

I don't have much confidence right now because he has yet to play his first game with us.

 

[GMO415]

I have very little confidence in the ENTIRE team.

 

[kskboys]

Here's the problem that I see with what you are saying. Gallup also is a legitimate No. 2 receiver; however, during his rookie year, he only caught 33 passes for 577 yards. We traded for Cooper his rookie year in part because Gallup wasn't ready to establish himself. Expecting Tolbert to as a rookie is expecting too much. Maybe he will; some rookies have definitely had better seasons than Gallup's, but we should not be expecting or even asking him to put up No. 2 numbers this year. If our plan going into the season is for Lamb to be the No. 1 and either Tolbert or Houston to be the No. 2, it's a bad plan.

Now, I'm going to mitigate what I'm saying a little because I believe that our plan may essentially be for Pollard to be the No. 2 guy (at least as far as catches goes). If that's the case, then we're really looking for a No. 3 guy, and Tolbert might can be that.

I'm glad that both Tolbert and Houston are showing flashes that they can play in this league. I'm glad we've got Turpin and we're seeing moments from Brown, Fehoko and Vasher. However, the perspective on that is that there are a lot of one-on-ones in camp (which favor the offense). There are a lot of balls thrown so there are opportunities for some big plays even if the receivers aren't regularly beating coverage.

The news out of camp is that the defense is ahead of the offense and looking good. Part of that just might be that we don't have very many receivers who can get open down after down after down. I hope that is not the case, but I'm concerned that it is and certainly don't have the confidence that you do in a rookie third-round pick, not to mention a rookie UDFA, a second-year UDFA, a diminutive returner, a sixth-year No. 4 receiver and a second-year fourth-round pick who was mostly inactive last year.

There's a big difference between being the #2 guy and the #2 WR.

If nothing else, Brown could prolly be the #2 for a few games. Freaking out and spending valuable resources at the WR spot is the last thing we need to do.

 

[kumizi]

He’s never played a down in the NFL. Hopefully he turns into a solid player over time but I don’t get how you can have confidence in him right now.

I believe the word you’re looking for is faith: confidence not backed up by evidence.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

With or without Gallup

True that this is not ideal though.

Luckily, with Lamb, Shultz, Elliott, and Pollard, Dallas has 4 other already proven weapons besiides Missing Gallup a few games.
And maybe Houston, Tolbert and Brown can help some too

Last season, Gallup, Coop and Wilson caught 148 passes, for 1912 yards and 16 TDs combined. So if we talking just raw numbers, we are trying to replace 8.7 catches, 112 yards and 1 TD per game average. Not a big leap from this perspective......

 

[Jstopper]

We did but ultimately we lost in the 1st round like we do most years we make the playoffs. And who knows maybe they lose with a vet at receiver as well that year. Its like winning a SB with a rookie QB...when a big part of your team is youth....you gotta balance it out with some veterans. Cowboys are attempting to reinvent the wheel with young guys......

Sir, I said we WON a playoff game that year. You can’t lose in the 1st round if you won a game.

 

[bigE79]

The way I see it, Tolbert is a legitimate #2 WR in the NFL, which is why I'm not as concerned as some about the WR position.

That said, it would appear as if fans and others in the media don't share the same level of faith in Tolbert as I do.

So many are clamoring for us to bring in a veteran WR, which I would ultimately be on board with (even though I like Fehoko, Turpin, Houston and Roberson as potential #3 options).

Are fans just not as confident in Tolbert because he's a rookie?

I'm about a 7 of 10 as far as being confident he can rise to the occasion as a formidable #2 guy during his rookie year.

If all goes well, I can see him even surpassing Cooper's 2021 production.

What is your general confidence level in Tolbert?

0..he hasn't done anything yet.

 

[xwalker]

I was thrilled when Tolbert fell to us in the third round and he should be a very good WR2 for us but if you're looking for him to step in and immediately replace Gallup and Washington until they get healthy you may be disappointed. Rookie WRs don't usually come in and light it up right away. We get the Bengals games here and Chase didn't, it took him a while. The FO would be silly not to look for a veteran WR to sign when teams cut down to their 53 man rosters.

The 2nd & 3rd WR snaps will be a 'by committee' approach until Gallup returns.

Alvin Harper only exceeded a 50% catch rate once in his career and that 1 season was only a 53.7% rate.

If the 2022 running game is good, if CeeDee plays like a #1 WR and if Schultz repeats his 2021 receiving success, then they should be able to win until Gallup returns.
- Based on training camp video, it appears that Pollard will be used more as a receiver with both Pollard and Zeke on the field together.
- Kellen Moore wants to use more 2 TE sets regardless of the WR depth chart.
- If one of Ferguson or McKeon can just match Jarwin's receiving ability, then Moore will use a lot of 2 TE sets.
- That's not a super high bar...

 

[gimmesix]

There's a big difference between being the #2 guy and the #2 WR.

If nothing else, Brown could prolly be the #2 for a few games. Freaking out and spending valuable resources at the WR spot is the last thing we need to do.

I'd rather freak out than lose games, like we did in 2018, before bringing in a legitimate receiver. I'd get one now while other teams don't have a need for one of the few legitimate ones on the market. If the guys we have can beat them out, then so be it, but being the best of the bunch because there's no legitimate competitors doesn't mean much. There's a good reason why Brown hasn't been more than the fourth receiver in his first five years, and likely a good reason why he is looking like he might be the second-best now.

It doesn't seem like the Joneses are interested right now in bringing in anyone legitimate, so we'll either hope for the best with what we've got or hope it's made clear relatively quickly that we need to do something else.

 

[gimmesix]

The 2nd & 3rd WR snaps will be a 'by committee' approach until Gallup returns.

Alvin Harper only exceeded a 50% catch rate once in his career and that 1 season was only a 53.7% rate.

If the 2022 running game is good, if CeeDee plays like a #1 WR and if Schultz repeats his 2021 receiving success, then they should be able to win until Gallup returns.
- Based on training camp video, it appears that Pollard will be used more as a receiver with both Pollard and Zeke on the field together.
- Kellen Moore wants to use more 2 TE sets regardless of the WR depth chart.
- If one of Ferguson or McKeon can just match Jarwin's receiving ability, then Moore will use a lot of 2 TE sets.
- That's not a super high bar...

Pollard is really the wild card for me. Even when we had Washington, who really isn't much more proven than what we have now, if the plan was to incorporate Pollard a lot more, I felt that was a good plan. Obviously, we don't know completely know how Pollard would handle a pure receiver role, but his role would be a lot more hybrid and could really put some stress on the defense.

If we rarely run three-receiver packages without Pollard on the field, then I feel better about our receiving corps as is. If we're planning to run a lot of three-receiver with some combo of Lamb, Tolbert, Houston, Brown, Turpin, Fehoko and/or Vasher, I don't feel very good about that. As a defensive coach, I'd make sure Lamb and Schultz get at least some bracket attention and force those unproven players to beat me. Can they do it enough to force me to change that strategy? I don't know. If they can't get open consistently, then that creates some major headaches for the passing game.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

Having seen him play in person against UT, he is a legit 2.

 

[Pass2Run]

Having seen him play in person against UT, he is a legit 2.

You're talking about this game?

 

[Texas_Pete]

I'm holding back until he catches a few passes in front of 80,000 fans. I do like what I'm seeing so far though.

 

[KJJ]

Had we drafted Tolbert with a top 10 pick I would have some confidence in him. However he’s a third round rookie so we’ll see. He has a chance to be a good player but I need to see it when the lights are on. As shorthanded as we are at receiver he’ll certainly get some opportunities this season.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Yep, college film.

Of course, this is why I think Dak should play in the preseason game. Because we should know what we have with Tolbert. To know, Dak needs to play at least a few reps in the preseason for the rookies. Big risk, but I may take it.

When I say I'm confident in Tolbert, I'm not 10 of 10 confident. Meaning, yes, I think he can do it based on his college film. But I also see why people think it would be wise to bring in a veteran.

Keep in mind. I was down to draft Tolbert in the 2nd. I liked him that much. But, I also see why he lasted to the 3rd. There are some doubts, even though he does flash some.

So, yeah, I can honestly see them just rolling with Tolbert as the #2, especially if they think Gallup is on the fast-track to returning. Mostly, though, I'm down to pick up a vet.. Even though I like guys like Fehoko, Turpin, Brown, Roberson, etcetera. Just because there is that doubt. And you can never go wrong getting a decent vet as your 3rd option. The thing is, Dak is a WR-friendly QB, and we run a WR-friendly scheme, so anyone can step up.. like someone else said, it doesn't matter if it's a 2nd round draft pick, or a UDFA. Someone needs to step up. Or we should sign a vet WR.

I think we have enough weapons with CeeDee and Lamb to see that guy as a 3rd option, so there are still plenty of 3rd option guys available.

You mean Dak should risk injury so YOU can get a better idea of what we have? Heck I am not even at any of these practices and I can already tell the kid is the real deal.

When we get Gallup back and its Lamb, Gallup, Tolbert, Shultz.....................that is going to be one of the better pass catching units in the NFL. Sprinkle in a little Pollard and Turbin and we should be explosive.

 

[darthseinfeld]

The way I see it, Tolbert is a legitimate #2 WR in the NFL, which is why I'm not as concerned as some about the WR position.

That said, it would appear as if fans and others in the media don't share the same level of faith in Tolbert as I do.

So many are clamoring for us to bring in a veteran WR, which I would ultimately be on board with (even though I like Fehoko, Turpin, Houston and Roberson as potential #3 options).

Are fans just not as confident in Tolbert because he's a rookie?

I'm about a 7 of 10 as far as being confident he can rise to the occasion as a formidable #2 guy during his rookie year.

If all goes well, I can see him even surpassing Cooper's 2021 production.

What is your general confidence level in Tolbert?

If anyone is serious about contending then yeah you can't have a 3rd or 4th round rookie starting for as your 2nd best receiver. Its just what I believe. I think you need a veteran there. I don't like the approach the Cowboys are taking. You can get away with youth at certain positions but the majority of your team is ran by young players? That's a problem.

I agree with @TheMarathonContinues here. I don't see how you can say a rookie, amd 3rd rounder at that is a "legitimate #2 WR". Faith in a player aside, he is a complete unknown, meaning he isnt a legitimate anything at this point.

Id my confidence level in him being a #2 WR right is maybe a 3 out of 10. I think he can be a very good WR, but more like what we got out of Cedric Wilson last year. In fact, I thnk Wilson is a pretty comparison for him. Thats not really a #2 caliber player

 

[Pass2Run]

You mean Dak should risk injury so YOU can get a better idea of what we have? Heck I am not even at any of these practices and I can already tell the kid is the real deal.

When we get Gallup back and its Lamb, Gallup, Tolbert, Shultz.....................that is going to be one of the better pass catching units in the NFL. Sprinkle in a little Pollard and Turbin and we should be explosive.

Turpin.

I actually agree with you. I'm not down on Tolbert (I wanted to draft him round 2), and I can see he's the real deal just by the practice highlights as well. Still, there's a little doubt left because they don't have a long time of building chemistry together. And I don't want to see Dak get cute. Just hang in there for the short routes for a few reps to get their timing down in game situations.

And Gallup is my favorite player. He could easily have another 1,000 yard season, so I hope he gets back this year sooner rather than later.

What the Cowboys do as far as WR will give me a better idea of the projected timetable of his return.