Tolbert saw his stock diminish in 2025 after a stellar 2024 season, and now, he lands in the AFC.
We know that the NFL is a harsh business, especially during the offseason, as players are cut, traded, and told they aren't good enough.
But for now, Dallas Cowboys receiver Jalen Tolbert has experienced a different and brutal reality.
A slow burn in his first two seasons in Dallas, Tolbert produced a fine 2024 season.
He racked up 610 yards and seven TDs (he led all Cowboys) as he ended Year 3 with what many thought was a firm grip on the WR3 role for the Cowboys.
But in the NFL, someone is always trying to take your job, and unfortunately for Tolbert, that happened.
Ryan Flournoy's 2025 emergence as a weapon on both special teams and as a receiver meant Tolbert was pushed down the pecking order.
On some game days, he was a healthy scratch. So the writing was on the wall.
Now, Tolbert - who as our own Mike Fisher posted on X, handled what transpired in 2025 like a pro. He never complained, sulked, or anything like that - lands with a new team.
Tolbert has moved on to the Miami Dolphins on a one-year deal.
His time in Dallas is over.
In a nutshell, Tolbert was overtaken by a player who came from nowhere but who was simply better than him.
That's it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Flournoy, who made waves in training camp, did start the 2025 season down the depth chart, but unlike Tolbert, when his chances came, goodness me, he took them.
Flo would finish the year with 475 yards and four TDs from 40 receptions, which included two 100+ yard outings, and an end to the season with 40+ yards in three of the last four games.
But the big difference for Flo compared to Tolbert was that Dak Prescott actively looked for Flournoy on third down.
Of his 40 receptions, 29 went for first downs.
Due to Ryan's rise, Tolbert found himself on the outside, and Fish even reported back in January that the Cowboys wouldn't bother offering Jalen a contract because of how much they liked Flournoy.
And that has proven to be correct.
Tolbert gets another chance to establish himself in an NFL offense, and for a player who handled whatever was thrown at him with class, and like a pro, he deserves another shot.
And he's got it in Miami.