Inside The Star
The 2024 season was a tale of two Jalens for the Dallas Cowboys.
Jalen Tolbert, a third-round pick in 2022, had a good season. He started 15 of the 17 games he played in and had 610 yards and seven touchdowns on 49 catches.
He more than doubled his combined output in catches and yardage over his first two seasons combined.
For his career, Tolbert has 890 yards and nine touchdowns on 73 catches.
Tolbert will make nearly $3.5 million this year and becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 season concludes. He picked the right time to break out.
For Jalen Brooks, the 2025 season could be his breakout year.
Selected in the seventh round of the 2023 draft, Brooks had one start in 14 games in 2024.
Brooks had just 12 catches for 177 yards last year. His lone touchdown, the first of his career, was a 17 yard catch against Carolina.
In his two seasons, he has 18 total catches for 241 yards.
For Brooks, 2025 could be his make-or-break year.
As in either he makes it in Dallas or he breaks away and tries to land elsewhere. His numbers so far make that a tough task.
Roster Review 2025: Jalen Tolbert/Jalen Brooks. This is Part 11 of a series. Click here for a list of all related articles.
With Brandin Cooks likely not to return in 2025, it would seem like both Tolbert and Brooks would be in line to start more often than not.
However, there are two wildcards that could play a huge role in what kind of season both players are in store for.
The first is Jonathan Mingo. Like Brooks, Mingo will be entering his third season after being drafted in the second round in 2023 by Carolina.
The Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick for Mingo after having him high on their draft board two years ago.
The other wildcard is the upcoming draft in Green Bay in April.
There are some mock drafts that have the Cowboys taking a receiver in the first round. If that happens, Brooks might find himself well down the depth chart.
Tolbert will probably be dueling with Mingo for the WR3 spot on the depth chart.
If Dallas does not take a receiver, Tolbert will likely remain across from CeeDee Lamb. He’ll need to continue building on his solid work of last year.
Brooks has shown flashes of being a solid receiver.
But the presence of Mingo will put extra pressure on Brooks to have that breakout season.
In short, both players will be on the roster this year, barring a trade. Both can contribute.
But both can become expendable if Mingo, or a rookie first round pick, come in and blow the doors off in 2025.
Brooks is under contract this year and next, becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2027. He’s making a little over $1 million in 2025, and about $1.14 million in 2026....
