Jalen Tolbert has had to wait his turn and be patient. Now though, he feels he is ready to push on. Especially after a training camp that has seen him make steady progress. Saturday evening in the Dallas Cowboys home preseason opener he manages two catches for a total of 29 yards, but he snagged the first Cowboys touchdown of this warmup season.
Tolbert ran a perfect route, and Will Grier had enough time to run down his checks and find the receiver wide-open down the middle. The score came as time ran down in the first half in what would end as a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 28-23. His 17-yard score will be one of relief but also a testament to the hard work he has put in.
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— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 12, 2023
Jalen Tolbert Showing Signs of Life For Dallas Cowboys
The Opening Touchdown
He was only targeted twice, but such is his new attitude and approach he snagged both, and the score was the most pleasing.
“It was fun to get back out there and compete with my brothers. Make plays when my number was called and continue to build on how camp is going.” A third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Jalen Tolbert had some issues with transition out of college. Now it feels like he is on the rise at the right time. He redshirted through his freshman year at South Alabama due to a knee injury.
Eventually, he gained confidence through his sophomore and junior seasons which earned him All-Sun Belt Conference first-team honors. Then in 2021, he was named the Conference Offensive Player of the Year when he broke the school’s records with 82 catches for 1,474 yards and eight trips to the end zone.
Speaking of the touchdown he scored this past Saturday, he said. “I didn’t really think about it, I just knew that I made a play for the team and after that, was just looking forward to celebrating with my teammates and moving forward from that point on. I just try to stay neutral and not get too high or get too low.”
This newfound level-headed confidence is also the way the whole Cowboys camp has been going so far. They know they have many pieces in place now that could well be the start of something truly great. Jalen Tolbert continued, “ I feel like I went out there and played fast, confident, and physical. I like what I did out there. Now I’m just trying to build on it. We have practice coming up, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there and competing.”
Patience Is A Virtue
With a trio of stellar receivers ahead of him in CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert knows that he will still have to be patient. He also knows that the NFL season can be tortuous. So, he will need to be ready should his number get called again. But with another week of film and practice ahead, he will have another chance to impress further next Saturday at the Seattle Seahawks as preseason starts to crank up.
Main Photo: Kevin Jairaj – USA Today Sports
