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Cowboys coach makes it sound like second-year wide receiver won key position battle before it even got going

Originally posted on A to Z Sports
By Mauricio Rodriguez | Last updated 5/23/24

The top end of the Dallas Cowboys' wide receiver depth chart is almost set in stone. CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Jalen Tolbert are the projected starters, which is highly unlikely to change anytime soon.

However, the battle for WR4 appeared to be wide open. At least before OTAs kicked off.

During Wednesday's practice, it became apparent that there was a clear-cut front runner as one man made the most of CeeDee's absence from the voluntary workouts: Second-year wide receiver Jalen Brooks.

Per Jess Nevarez from the team's official podcast network, Brooks took a "significant amount of reps" with the ones, seemingly battling for WR3 with Tolbert.

Within the WR rotations both Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks took a significant amount of reps with the ones, especially with Ceedee Lamb being absent from OTAs. The battle for WR3 will be earned this offseason. pic.twitter.com/WzB6vTzJBv
— Jess Nevarez (@JessNevarez_) May 22, 2024

If Brooks is even receiving the opportunity to seemingly compete for WR3, it speaks volumes about his advantage for WR4 over the rest of the younger, more unproven guys behind him in the depth chart like fifth-round draft pick Ryan Flournoy and other second-year guys like Jalen Moreno-Cropper, among others.

Asked if Lamb's absence benefitted young players, head coach Mike McCarthy singled out Tolbert and Brooks as the guys who were practicing with the first-team.

"I think anytime you have an opportunity as a young receiver to get reps, it's a huge opportunity, especially if it's with the first group," McCarthy told reporters. "You can see both (Tolbert) and (Jalen Brooks) had really, really nice practices yesterday. So I think anytime you get those extra reps, it's great for our young guys."

Brooks played very little offense in 2023 but showed impressive flashes as a rookie, particularly in training camp and preseason.

Brooks also holds a special teams advantage over the younger guys: In seven games played last year, he recorded 82 snaps as a specialist.

It would take a major surprise for Brooks to be pushed off of the 53-man roster ahead of the 2024 NFL season and even more so now that we know he's the man eating into first-team reps while Lamb is away from the team.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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