When it comes to explosive plays down the field, the Cowboys ranked middle of the pack after the 2021 season, according to Sharp Football Analyst. Dallas finished 14th out of the 32 NFL teams in explosive play rate. These plays are classified as any pass that gains 20+ yards or any rush that gains 10+ yards.
During the 2021 season, the Cowboys recorded 121 total explosive plays, 54 of them coming via the ground and the other 67 through the air. With Amari Cooper now catching passes from Deshaun Watson in Cleveland, Dallas is going to have to find a way to fill his production, even more so if Michael Gallup can not recover from his torn ACL by the time kickoff starts in September.
A name to keep an eye on for Dallas is who they took with their 3rd round pick, Jalen Tolbert out of South Alabama at pick no. 88.
Tolbert tallied a total of 82 receptions, over 1,400 yards, and eight touchdowns during his senior season at South Alabama.
His ability to find separation down the field and find an opening in the defense is what stands out the most though, since 2019, no other receiver in FBS had more catches of 15 or more yards than Tolbert. He was able to record 77 which was most among FBS wideouts.
This could result in great things for the Cowboys down the field. The attention that CeeDee Lamb and Gallup could create, along with free-agent signee, James Washington stretching the field, could result in leaving Tolbert with a favorable match-up with a smaller defensive back or just letting him do what he does so well and make a play in the open field.
Let’s hope Kellen Moore has some gadget plays up his sleeve so Tolbert can make a splash in this offense and possibly find themselves inside the top 10 in explosive plays after the season comes to an end.
It is not lost on me that Jerry Rice came from a small school… but it cannot be overlooked that Tolbert’s stats came against lesser competition than many of the either top tier WRs that got drafted last week. I certainly hope he is able to match the production or even approximate what he did in college, but it is going to be a big jump from the talent level ge was facing to what he will see on Sundays.
True Todd, but McClay specifically stated that’s what he was watching for at the Senior Bowl (and the practices), and came away certain he is legit.
If it helps, he had 143 yards, 20/YPC, and a TD against Tennesse last year.
All I know is before AC came to Dallas our offense couldn’t get in the end zone and the very night he played we looked a different team! Just hope ole Jerry and his son didn’t set us back several years by letting him go!! It’s hard to replace a WR that is one of the best route runners in the league and expect a rookie to come in and be a liable threat! But I sure hope he can!!
You can give kellen Moore an all madden team and he couldn’t beat the computer #mccartymooremustgo
And I suppose you are an offensive genius. I always love how fans know so much that they judge people who are obviously quite good at what they do. As for the comment about OLE Jerry hurting the team by trading AC. Amari is a great route runner. Good hands guy until the game is important or on the road. Then he just calls it in. That is not opinion. Just look at the numbers.
I really liked Tolbert coming out of the draft, & I really like him in the third. He’s got the size/speed ratio to separate vs most DBs. Excellent contested catch player too. Would have had a lot more explosive plays with a better QB.
tolbert is good