I like the receiving tandem of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, but I wonder how Jalen Tolbert will fit in. He might be a sneaky contributor.
Three-receiver sets are common, and Tolbert should be the primary guy in that role. That translates into probably a couple of catches per week. No big deal. But Tolbert was very good around the end zone last year.
When the Cowboys were inside the 10-yard line, they completed 5 of 7 when throwing to Tolbert, with 5 TDs. (One of those touchdowns was a game-winner at Pittsburgh, as I recall, in a Sunday night game.) Those touchdowns help Tolbert finish with a team-high 7 TD catches.
The previous year, Dak Prescott had a nice little thing going with Brandin Cooks in that part of the field. Cooks caught 7 of 10 passes in that area, with 6 TDs and a 2-point conversion. So Prescott can make the throws in that area.
With the 5 of 7 last year, Tolbert was one of only two wide receivers who scored on over 70 percent of his targets in that part of the field. (Among guys with at least 7 targets).
Pickens, on the other hand, was the only wide receiver who didn’t catch any of his targets in that part of the field. (And CeeDee Lamb, he caught only 1 of the 3 passes thrown his way in that area.)
I’m not suggesting Tolbert will outscore Pickens, but it’s a possibility that he’ll continue to be a guy they look to a healthy amount in that part of the field. If so, Tolbert might score a similar number of touchdowns to Pickens.
| WIDE RECEIVERS INSIDE THE 10-YARD LINE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Com | TD | 2Pt | EZ% |
| Terry McLaurin, Was. | 9 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 78% |
| Jalen Tolbert, Dall. | 7 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 71% |
| Ladd McConkey, LAC | 9 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 67% |
| Amon-Ra St.Brown, Det. | 15 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 60% |
| Andrei Iosivas, Cin. | 10 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 60% |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 60% |
| Xavier Legette, Car. | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 57% |
| DeAndre Hopkins, K.C. | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 57% |
| Nico Collins, Hou. | 9 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 56% |
| Demarcus Robinson, LAR | 9 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 56% |
| Brian Thomas, Jac. | 11 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 55% |
| Keenan Allen, Chi. | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 50% |
| Xavier Worthy, K.C. | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 50% |
| Courtland Sutton, Den. | 9 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 44% |
| Tyreek Hill, Mia. | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 44% |
| Jordan Addison, Min. | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 44% |
| Jakobi Meyers, L.V. | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 43% |
| DJ Moore, Chi. | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 38% |
| Jerry Jeudy, Cle. | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 38% |
| Cooper Kupp, LAR | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 38% |
| Jauan Jennings, S.F. | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 38% |
| Drake London, Atl. | 11 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 36% |
| Davante Adams, NYJ | 14 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 36% |
| Tee Higgins, Cin. | 15 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 33% |
| Malik Nabers, NYG | 12 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Garrett Wilson, NYJ | 12 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Wan'Dale Robinson, NYG | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 33% |
| Ja'Marr Chase, Cin. | 17 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 29% |
| Zay Flowers, Balt. | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 29% |
| Van Jefferson, Pitt. | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 29% |
| Diontae Johnson, Car. | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 25% |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sea. | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 25% |
| Justin Jefferson, Min. | 13 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 23% |
| George Pickens, Pitt. | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
—Ian Allan