Player
Jalen Tolbert
WR · Cowboys
Out-scoring your team's All-Pro WR1 in a season — even by one — is the kind of distribution that explains how a depth WR ends up with starter usage when the front office plans the next year. Tolbert's 7 TDs are the single best argument for keeping him in the rotation.
Tolbert led the 2024 Cowboys in receiving TDs — one more than CeeDee Lamb.
2024 DAL receiving TD leaders
| Player | Pos | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Tolbert | WR | 49 | 610 | 7 |
| CeeDee Lamb | WR | 101 | 1194 | 6 |
| Rico Dowdle | RB | 39 | 249 | 3 |
| Brandin Cooks | WR | 26 | 259 | 3 |
| KaVontae Turpin | WR | 31 | 420 | 2 |
Lamb out-targeted Tolbert 152 to 79 and finished with 52 more catches and 584 more yards — but Tolbert hit the end zone one more time (7 vs 6).
It's the kind of receiver-room split that almost never happens: the WR1 gets the volume, the WR2 gets the goal-line work. Tolbert was DAL's red-zone fade specialist in 2024 and his TD total tells that story.
Why it matters. Out-scoring your team's All-Pro WR1 in a season — even by one — is the kind of distribution that explains how a depth WR ends up with starter usage when the front office plans the next year. Tolbert's 7 TDs are the single best argument for keeping him in the rotation.
2024 was the breakout — 610 yards, 7 TDs, all 17 games played.
Milestone2024 DAL non-Lamb receivers (WR/TE)
| Player | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Tolbert | WR | 17 | 49 | 610 | 7 |
| Jake Ferguson | TE | 14 | 59 | 494 | 0 |
| Brandin Cooks | WR | 10 | 26 | 259 | 3 |
| KaVontae Turpin | WR | 17 | 31 | 420 | 2 |
| Luke Schoonmaker | TE | 12 | 27 | 241 | 1 |
Top 3 Tolbert career games
| Year | Wk | Opp | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 18 | WAS | 6 | 4 | 98 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | PIT | 10 | 7 | 87 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 | NO | 9 | 6 | 82 | 0 |
With CeeDee Lamb missing time and Brandin Cooks aging out of the WR2 role, Tolbert stepped in for 49 catches, 610 yards, and 7 TDs in 2024 — more receiving yards and TDs than any DAL pass-catcher except Lamb.
His 3 best career games all came in 2024: 98 yards vs WAS (Wk 18), 87 yards + TD vs PIT (Wk 5), and 82 yards on 6 catches vs NO (Wk 2).
Why it matters. A 17-game, 600+ yard, 7-TD season as the clear WR2 is the resume Tolbert needed to stay on the roster after the Cowboys traded for George Pickens in 2025. Without 2024, he's likely cut.
From WR2 to WR5: Tolbert's target rank on the Cowboys collapsed after the Pickens trade.
TrendDAL WR target leaders by season
| Season | Player | Tgt |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | CeeDee Lamb | 152 |
| 2024 | Jalen Tolbert | 79 |
| 2024 | Brandin Cooks | 54 |
| 2024 | KaVontae Turpin | 52 |
| 2025 | George Pickens | 137 |
| 2025 | CeeDee Lamb | 117 |
| 2025 | Ryan Flournoy | 56 |
| 2025 | KaVontae Turpin | 38 |
| 2025 | Jalen Tolbert | 34 |
In 2024 Tolbert was unambiguously the WR2 in Dallas — 79 targets, second only to Lamb. The 2025 acquisition of George Pickens redrew the entire room.
Now Tolbert is 5th in WR targets, behind Pickens (137), Lamb (117), Flournoy (56), and Turpin (38). His 34 targets through 12 games are roughly his 2024 pace cut in half.
Why it matters. A drop from WR2 to WR5 inside a single offseason is the practical definition of a depth-chart move. Tolbert's 2025 numbers aren't a performance story — they're a roster story driven by Pickens arriving.
Tolbert's 14.3% TD rate in 2024 sat among the league's best — peers were Mike Evans and Ja'Marr Chase.
Rare2024 WRs (40+ rec) by receiving-TD rate
| Player | Team | Rec | TD | TD% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rashod Bateman | BAL | 51 | 11 | 21.6% |
| Terry McLaurin | WAS | 96 | 16 | 16.7% |
| Mike Evans | TB | 81 | 12 | 14.8% |
| Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN | 41 | 6 | 14.6% |
| Quentin Johnston | LAC | 55 | 8 | 14.5% |
| Jalen Tolbert | DAL | 49 | 7 | 14.3% |
| Tee Higgins | CIN | 73 | 10 | 13.7% |
| Jordan Addison | MIN | 66 | 9 | 13.6% |
| Ja'Marr Chase | CIN | 127 | 17 | 13.4% |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI | 62 | 8 | 12.9% |
Among the 65 WRs who caught 40+ passes in 2024, Tolbert's 14.3% TD rate ranked 6th — ahead of Tee Higgins (13.7%), Jordan Addison (13.6%), Ja'Marr Chase (13.4%), and Marvin Harrison Jr. (12.9%).
Tolbert isn't a volume receiver, but when the Cowboys went to him in scoring range, he finished. Year-over-year his TD count went 0 → 2 → 7 → 1, with the 2024 spike driven almost entirely by red-zone usage rather than total snaps.
Why it matters. TD rate at low volume usually regresses — but the peer list (Evans, Higgins, Chase) shows Tolbert wasn't a fluke; he was used the same way those receivers were inside the 20. The 2025 drop is about opportunity, not finishing skill.
Tolbert caught 8 red-zone targets in 2024 — and turned 7 into TDs.
AnomalyTolbert red-zone targets by season (yardline <= 20)
| Season | RZ Tgt | RZ Rec | RZ TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 2024 | 13 | 8 | 7 |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Seven of Tolbert's 49 catches in 2024 were red-zone touchdowns. He saw 13 red-zone targets, caught 8 of them, and 7 went for scores — a near-perfect conversion that explains essentially the entire 7-TD season.
2025 is the inverse: 5 red-zone targets, 0 catches, 0 TDs. The role hasn't disappeared — DAL is still throwing his way inside the 20 — but the finishing has, and that's where the season-long TD count went from 7 to 1.
Why it matters. When a WR's TDs are concentrated in red-zone catches like this, a one-year regression is usually about route assignment or quarterback, not skill. The 5-for-0 in 2025 is a tiny sample that's masking what made 2024 work.
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