'The Worst!' Jalen Tolbert Reveals Truth about Cowboys Rookie Season
The Jalen Tolbert who we've gotten to know, just a little bit, is earnest.
And now we know, via the Dallas Cowboys young receiver's visit while hanging out at the Senior Bowl, Tolbert is also honest.
"This rookie year is by far the worst (season) that I've had,'' Tolbert said. "And far from what I wanted for myself. But I know that I needed it. God knows I needed it. And the coaches know that I needed it.''
Hey, if those three factions can get together - Jalen, coach Mike McCarthy's staff and God himself? Maybe this can still work out.
As noted by DallasCowboys.com, Tolbert made his return this week to his old stomping grounds, the University of South Alabama product having participating in the Senior Bowl in Mobile "as the hometown kid looking to prove he had it what it takes to get drafted.''
He did prove that, and he became Dallas' third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
But after that? Highlights were hard to come by.
"People look at this year as a down year for me or whatever the word might be out there,'' said Tolbert, who is right - as after being touted as a potential rookie starter with a bond with QB Dak Prescott he caught just two balls for 12 yards. "But for me, I learned a lot and learned what I need to do to be an elite talent in the league and how to help our team next year. ...
"I think everything is a learning experience.''
He's right about that, too, of course.
Tolbert is predicting he will "take that next step and have a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2,'' and that is a logical bet. ... And it's also one Dallas needs to come true. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys struggled for answers at wideout. Michael Gallup, coming off the knee surgery, never quite looked like himself. The flirtation with Odell Beckham Jr. and the signing of TY Hilton were both necessitated in part by the things Tolbert could not do.
And Tolbert too often looked like the baseball player turned to footballer that he truly is.
He is learning.
"With every step you take, you go into a different view of life and a different view of football," Tolbert said. "I had to learn the business side of stuff, the position side of things ... I had to learn a lot of stuff. Now I know what to work on, what I need to do and where I need to be.
"Now I can go into next year and ... just go out there, be comfortable and confident and just go play and show why I got drafted.''
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