Dallas Cowboys football is back!

Well, kind of. The team's organized team activities (OTAs) kick off this Monday which means players will be on the practice field for Phase Three of the offseason. While no live contact is allowed at this point, it's still a great opportunity to learn how the coaching staff is feeling about certain players and rotations.

That's why the player I'm most intrigued about this week is an unpopular choice: Second-year wide receiver Jalen Tolbert.

While we know about players who need a strong offseason to stay on the roster and about guys who are expected to have a breakout season, we just haven't learned much about Tolbert. Good or bad.

As a third-round draft pick, Tolbert was seen as one of the best "value picks" in the Cowboys' 2022 NFL Draft. However, his rookie season didn't pan out like he – or the team – expected. Tolbert saw the field in just 8% of the offensive snaps and suited up for just eight games. Tolbert also had very limited playing time on special teams.

In the rare instances that he did see playing time, he was targeted just three times. Arguably his worst moment as a rookie came in Green Bay when he lined up offsides in a pivotal moment of the game.

And yet, it's very difficult to figure out what exactly is going on with Tolbert's situation.

That should change in OTAs when we realize several things:

Is he solidified as the WR4 in the rotation? Or is he battling Simi Fehoko, Dennis Houston, UDFAs, and seventh-round draft picks for a spot at the bottom of the depth chart? Where are the Cowboys getting him involved? In the slot, outside, or is he going to move around all the time? 

He and the team have tried to explain Tolbert's underwhelming rookie season by claiming the Cowboys put a lot on his plate and that he had to learn many positions during his rookie season. 

But the fact that he was a healthy scratch for most of the season makes us wonder how the coaching staff really feels about the second-year wide receiver out of South Alabama. 

Behind the starting three WRs (CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup), everything seems to be wide open at the position. Will Tolbert emerge as a bottom-of-the-top player? Or is he trending toward the endless middle of the depth chart? 

The future possibilities from Tolbert range from WR4 to straight-up cut from the team if the Cowboys see no progress in him. Even though that would be an extreme situation, it's one we can't rule out.

We'll get a preliminary answer on where he's at in the eyes of the coaches during OTAs. Ideally, we'll learn he's the clear-cut No. 4 in the eyes of the coaches. That would go a long way in easing the concerns that were raised during his rookie year.

But make no mistake about it, if it's a true positional battle, it won't be decided until training camp. 

For more on this topic and the Cowboys, check out my nightly live show A to Z Sports Dallas Primetime below!

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