With training camp in Oxnard getting underway later this month, we know two things for certain among the Dallas Cowboys receivers.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens will be starters, assuming no injuries derail either, and KaVontae Turpin will get some plays in along with being the kick returner.
That really leaves one important slot open on the depth chart at the position. There are two players who will be battling throughout camp, trying to outshine each other.
Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo.
Ladies and gentlemen, as a certain boxing announcer might say, let’s get ready to rumbllllleeeee.
Tolbert’s Time To Shine?
Drafted in the third round in 2022, Tolbert saw extremely limited action in his rookie year.
He only played in eight games, with one start. He finished with just two catches for 12 yards on three targets that season.
In 2023, he suited up for all 17 games, starting six.
Tolbert had 36 targets that year, catching 22 of them for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
Last year, as usually happens with most receivers in Year 3, he had 49 receptions for 610 yards and seven touchdowns. Tolbert started in 15 of the 17 games he played in during 2024.
At the end of the season, he seemed a lock to be a starting receiver in 2025.
Then Dallas traded for George Pickens.
Suddenly, Tolbert’s chances to start were diminished. That is also partly due to a late-season trade the Cowboys made last year.
They acquired Mingo from Carolina and while he didn’t have much of an impact post-trade, he is still a huge threat to Tolbert’s playing time.
Second Chances For Mingo, Jones
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office coveted Mingo in the 2023 draft.
But the Panthers beat them to him in the second round. He had a good rookie year, starting in 14 games and catching 43 passes for 418 yards.
However, he faded in his sophomore year, catching 12 passes for 121 yards in nine games for Carolina and only starting five games.
Mingo was traded to Dallas and played eight games for the Cowboys with just one start. He caught five passes for 46 yards for Dallas in 2024.
Mingo has yet to catch his first NFL touchdown pass.
The Cowboys are clearly hoping he has his third-year receiver breakout season in 2025.
There Can Be Only One
Mingo probably has the edge going into camp. He certainly had the most potential of the two coming out of college.
Tolbert has been up and down during his time in Dallas.
That alone might just be enough to give Mingo the higher position on the depth chart when the season begins.
Gotta admit, my confidence level in either of the 2 being important contri butors is pretty low based on what either has shown thus far.
Tolbert would get the slight nod for his production but that lack of separation is concerning.
MIngo “supposedly” has rhe superior speed and overall pedigree.
It’s just yet to show itself.
Neither may be the answer at WR3.
I’ll take the wait and see approach I guess.
I have to disagree!! Like I said in my comment, Tolbert has gotten better and better every year, he had his best year last season with the 610 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns, with the 7 touchdowns leading the team!! And he got most of that production as the WR2 since Brandin Cooks was injured a lot!! So if he can get that much production as the WR2, he will be even better as the WR3 since he won’t have as much attention on him as he would if he was WR2!! Plus the defense is gonna be more worried about Lamb and Pickens, which will give Tolbert more open looks!! Plus the defense will have to pay attention to Ferguson too, so with all that every defense will have to worry about, I think Tolbert will more than likely have his best season so far!! And he’s got more than just a slight nod over Mingo…. From what both of them has shown so far, Tolbert is definitely ahead of Mingo by a lot!! And I’m sure it’ll show that way on the depth chart too!!
I have to disagree with you when you said Tolbert has been up and down during his time in Dallas!! Cause he hasn’t been up and down!! He’s gotten better and better every year!! That means he’s just going up!! He had his best year last season with the 610 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns, with the 7 touchdowns leading the team btw!! I don’t see Mingo coming in and taking the WR3 spot from Tolbert after Tolbert has gotten so much better every year!! Tolbert has shown that he’s getting better with every season he’s played, while Mingo has shown the exact opposite!! So I don’t see how potential coming out of college can give Mingo the higher spot on the depth chart when Tolbert has been better than Mingo since being in the NFL!! The only way Mingo is gonna jump Tolbert on the depth chart is if he can actually prove he’s better than Tolbert and he hasn’t even come close to that yet!! So until that day comes, the way I see it, Tolbert is a lock for WR3!! Mingo mite get lucky and get WR4, but that spot mite be for Turpin, so it depends on where Turpin is listed on the depth chart!! If Turpin is on the depth chart as a return specialist, then Mingo mite get the WR4 spot, but I think Turpin will be listed as WR4 and return specialist and Mingo will be WR5!! Mingos potential couldn’t even get him put on the depth chart ahead of Flournoy or Brooks last season, and he had half the season to do it and never could, so there’s no way he jumps all the way up to WR3 over Tolbert, it’s just not gonna happen!! At best he’ll be WR4, but I think he’ll be WR5!! I really hope I’m wrong and Mingo turns it around and shows why he was drafted so high and why we gave up a 4th round pick for him, but I really don’t think I am!! Cause he hasn’t done anything to show he was worth drafting so high and he hasn’t proven he was worth us giving up a 4th round pick for him either, so I’m not counting on him all of a sudden making a big jump out of nowhere!! I don’t see it happening!! But I guess we’ll see where he ends up in a couple months!!