The Cowboys ranked 3rd in passing offense last year, so the potential availability of a key role merits some consideration. Some. But more likely, the No. 3 wide receiver role is only really important for if the one of the top 2 gets hurt.
Those top 2 are CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks right now, and with Lamb dominating targets and production, even Cooks is just good but not great. Last year Lamb was the top wideout in PPR leagues, while Cooks ranked 38th -- just barely a regular starter in 12-team, 3-WR leagues.
Their 3rd-best wide receiver was Michael Gallup, and he was barely rosterable, finishing 79th in PPR leagues. So discussion of whether that No. 3 will be Jalen Tolbert is only mildly interesting.
Over the last decade, the Cowboys have usually had an excellent passing game, but with the amount of the offense going to the top 2, and the tight end, and running backs, the No. 3 has never really been great. Just once in the past 10 seasons -- Gallup in 2020 -- has that player made it into the top 40 at the position.
Dallas's No. 3 wide receiver, sorted by fantasy rank, from the past 10 years is shown in the table below.
| DALLAS NO. 3 WIDE RECEIVERS, 2014-2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Rk |
| 2020 | Michael Gallup | 105 | 59 | 843 | 14.3 | 5 | 38 |
| 2019 | Randall Cobb | 83 | 55 | 828 | 15.1 | 3 | 42 |
| 2021 | Cedrick Wilson | 61 | 45 | 602 | 13.4 | 6 | 45 |
| 2016 | Terrance Williams | 61 | 44 | 594 | 13.5 | 4 | 62 |
| 2022 | Michael Gallup | 74 | 39 | 424 | 10.9 | 4 | 68 |
| 2017 | Cole Beasley | 63 | 36 | 314 | 8.7 | 4 | 73 |
| 2014 | Cole Beasley | 49 | 37 | 420 | 11.4 | 4 | 73 |
| 2023 | Michael Gallup | 57 | 34 | 418 | 12.3 | 2 | 79 |
| 2015 | Dez Bryant | 72 | 31 | 401 | 12.9 | 3 | 81 |
| 2018 | Allen Hurns | 35 | 20 | 295 | 14.8 | 2 | 106 |
In those same 10 years, I was wondering if any team ever had three good wide receivers in typical leagues. The answer is yes; there have been three such examples. So it happens, even though it hasn't been the case in Dallas.
The 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers are the most recent example, putting three wideouts into the top 30 in PPR leagues, with Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 3,803 yards and 33 touchdowns (and Mason Rudolph also making a start). Two teams did it in 2018: Matt Ryan's Falcons, and the Jameis Winston/Ryan Fitzpatrick Bucs.
| TEAMS WITH 3 WRS IN THE TOP 30, 2014-2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Rk |
| 2020 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | 128 | 97 | 831 | 8.6 | 9 | 16 |
| 2020 | Diontae Johnson | 144 | 88 | 923 | 10.5 | 7 | 21 |
| 2020 | Chase Claypool | 109 | 62 | 873 | 14.1 | 11 | 23 |
| 2018 | Julio Jones | 170 | 113 | 1677 | 14.8 | 8 | 3 |
| 2018 | Calvin Ridley | 92 | 64 | 821 | 12.8 | 10 | 20 |
| 2018 | Mohamed Sanu | 94 | 66 | 838 | 12.7 | 4 | 28 |
| 2018 | Mike Evans | 138 | 86 | 1524 | 17.7 | 9 | 9 |
| 2018 | Adam Humphries | 105 | 76 | 816 | 10.7 | 5 | 24 |
| 2018 | Chris Godwin | 95 | 59 | 842 | 14.3 | 7 | 25 |
In any case, unlikely the Cowboys are the team to join this group. If Tolbert is the No. 3, he'll likely need an injury to put up significant numbers.
I'm also not sure that wideout would even be Tolbert. The 2022 third-rounder played more than 60 percent of the snaps in two games last season, and in neither did he put up significant numbers. He caught 2 passes for 2 yards in a blowout win over the Giants, and 3 passes for 18 yards in a blowout against the Jets. He did catch a touchdown in Week 18 against the Commanders, so there's that, bu tif he's going to emerge as a factor, there's not much to go on. Dallas drafted Ryan Flournoy in the sixth round this year, and my Cowboys fan friend picked him up in our dynasty league. A vote for the unknown rookie over the third-year guy who's done little so far.
It's possible, but there are better fliers out there than Tolbert, I think.
--Andy Richardson