Cowboys receiver Jalen Tolbert showing signs of strong second-year leap

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert logged the first touchdown of his NFL career on Saturday night. Even if it won’t show up on his stat sheet for the regular season, it was yet another sign that he’s ready to solidify his role in the Cowboys offense.

“It was fun to get back out there and compete with my brothers, make plays when my number was called and continue to build on how [well] camp is going,” Tolbert said after the game, via DallasCowboys.com. 

Going into his second year in the league, Tolbert says he’s experiencing a “day-and-night” difference in his confidence. Now, he’s eager to get to his next play to continue showing the improvements he’s made since last season.

“I didn’t really think about it, but I should’ve kept the ball,” Tolbert said. “I just knew that I made a play for the team. After that, I was just looking forward to celebrating with my teammates and moving forward from that point on. I just try to stay neutral and not get too high, or get too low. 

“I just move on to the next play. … It’s day-and-night, my confidence level.”

In 2022, the third-rounder out of South Alabama had just two catches for 12 yards. He surpassed those numbers in the preseason game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, posting two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown.

“I feel like I went out there and played fast, confident, and physical,” Tolbert said. I like what I did out there. Now, I’m just trying to build on it. It started this offseason. Just, every day, building on it and trying to get one percent better with life in general — whether it’s on or off of the field. 

“Just continuing to grow from last season to now. … We have practice coming up, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there and competing.”

Grier finds Tolbert for Cowboys’ first preseason score

The first Cowboys touchdown of the exhibition season came with 13 seconds to go before halftime, Saturday. Down 14-0, it took longer than fans were hoping but it was worth the wait.

The pass from quarterback Will Grier to Jalen Tolbert woke the place up as Dallas cut the score to 14-7 to Jacksonville before intermission. Although exhibition games are pretty meaningless, the touchdown was meaningful to both Grier and Tolbert.

It was Tolbert’s first-ever touchdown for the Cowboys. And Grier, who is vying for second-team quarterback behind Dak Prescott, needed a highlight play. Grier found the weakness in the Jaguars’ two-deep zone as Tolbert caught a wide-open touchdown.

Will Grier & Jalen Tolbert connect to put Dallas on the board!

📱: Stream #JAXvsDAL on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/t95mLtrP9w

— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2023

Tolbert’s next opportunity to impress comes on Saturday when the Cowboys travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks.

On3’s Suzanne Halliburton contributed to this report.