Jalen Tolbert
_(cropped).jpg) Tolbert with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 | |||||||||
| No. 1 – Miami Dolphins | |||||||||
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| Positions | Wide receiver, return specialist | ||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | February 27, 1999 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | McGill–Toolen (Mobile) | ||||||||
| College | South Alabama (2017–2021) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2022: 3rd round, 88th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||
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Jalen Curtis Tolbert (born February 27, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Alabama Jaguars and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.
Early life
Tolbert was born on February 27, 1999, in Mobile, Alabama. He attended McGill–Toolen Catholic High School, where he played baseball, basketball, and football.[1] Tolbert did not become a starter until his senior year, where he finished the season with 37 receptions for 696 yards and nine touchdowns.[2] He was rated a two-star recruit and initially committed to play college football at Jacksonville State, before choosing to attend the University of South Alabama.[3]
College career
Tolbert redshirted his true freshman season with the Jaguars after suffering a knee injury in preseason training camp.[4] In the 2019 season, he entered the starting lineup as a redshirt sophomore and finished the season with 27 receptions for 521 yards (leading the conference with 19.3 yards per reception) and six touchdowns.[2] In the 2020 season, Tolbert was named first-team All-Sun Belt Conference as a redshirt junior after catching 64 passes for 1,085 yards (both school records) and eight touchdowns (tied the school record).[5][6] Against Arkansas State, he set a school record with 252 yards on ten receptions and three touchdowns.[7] In 2021, he was again named first-team All-Sun Belt and the conference's Offensive Player of the Year (South Alabama's first) after surpassing his own school records and leading the conference in receptions (82), receiving yards (1,474) and yards per reception (18.0), while scoring eight touchdowns.[8]
College statistics
| Year | Team | GP | Receiving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2017 | South Alabama | 0 | DNP | |||
| 2018 | South Alabama | 5 | 5 | 60 | 12.0 | 0 |
| 2019 | South Alabama | 12 | 27 | 521 | 19.3 | 6 |
| 2020 | South Alabama | 11 | 64 | 1,085 | 17.0 | 8 |
| 2021 | South Alabama | 12 | 82 | 1,474 | 18.0 | 8 |
| Career | 40 | 171 | 3,140 | 17.6 | 22 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 6 ft 4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m) | 4.49 s | 1.54 s | 2.58 s | 4.24 s | 7.08 s | 36.0 in (0.91 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[9][10][11][12] | ||||||||||||
Dallas Cowboys
Tolbert was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round (88th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft.[13] He was acquired to help ease the impact of losing Amari Cooper in a trade and to lessen the load from the injured Michael Gallup. As a rookie, the jump to the NFL combined with being asked to play inside and outside at wide receiver, proved to be too much and he struggled.[14] He appeared in only eight games with one start and tallied 2 receptions for 12 yards.[15] He was declared inactive in the first 2 contests of the season and in both playoff games.
In 2023, he was the team's fourth receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Gallup. He appeared in 17 games with 6 starts, posting 22 receptions for 268 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 special teams tackles.[16] In Week 4 against the New England Patriots, he had 4 receptions for 55 yards and one special team tackle. In Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tolbert scored his first career touchdown on a seven-yard reception and also had 32-yard reception.[17] In Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins, he had 2 receptions for 51 yards, including a 45-yard catch.
In 2024, he became a starter at wide receiver opposite Lamb, recording 17 games with 15 starts, 49 receptions (third on the team), 610 receiving yards (second on the team) and 7 receiving touchdowns (led the team).[18] In Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, he had the highlight of his Cowboys career, when he caught the game-winning touchdown on a 4-yard pass with 20 seconds remaining in a 20–17 road victory, to go along with 7 catches for 87 yards.[19] In the season finale against the Washington Commanders, he had 4 receptions for 98 yards.
In 2025, he appeared to be ready for a bigger jump, only to take a back seat after the acquisition of George Pickens and being passed on the depth chart by second-year player Ryan Flournoy. In Week 4 against the Green Bay Packers, he had a 34-yard critical reception in overtime, that put the ball at Green Bay's 5-yard line, resulting in a field goal for the lead, with the Packers later taking possession and ending the game with a 40–40 tie. Although he started 8 games, Tolbert was mostly an afterthought in the passing game, registering 18 receptions for 203 yards and one touchdown, only making 8 catches after the fourth game of the season. He was declared inactive in 4 of the Cowboys final 6 contests.
Miami Dolphins
On March 16, 2026, Tolbert signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins.[20]
Professional statistics
Regular season
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2022 | DAL | 8 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | DAL | 17 | 6 | 22 | 268 | 12.1 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | DAL | 17 | 15 | 49 | 610 | 12.4 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | DAL | 13 | 8 | 18 | 203 | 11.3 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 55 | 30 | 91 | 1,093 | 12.0 | 48 | 10 | 1 | 0 | |
Postseason
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2023 | DAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
References
- ↑ Thomas, Ben (August 1, 2016). "McGill WR Jalen Tolbert, Blount LB Zsajuan Powe commit to Jacksonville State". AL.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- 1 2 Stephenson, Creg (December 3, 2020). "High school teammates meet again in South Alabama-Troy 'Battle for the Belt'". AL.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ↑ Thomas, Ben (February 1, 2017). "McGill-Toolen WR Jalen Tolbert turns down Spartans, signs with South Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ↑ Stephenson, Creg (August 21, 2017). "South Alabama freshman WR Jalen Tolbert out for season with knee injury". AL.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ↑ Stephenson, Creg (April 8, 2021). "Jalen Tolbert embracing role as South Alabama's go-to guy in 2021". AL.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ↑ Crisan, Corey (September 9, 2021). "How BGSU can slow South Alabama NFL prospect Jalen Tolbert". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ↑ Trapasso, Chris (November 30, 2020). "2021 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Stock Watch: Tylan Wallace flashes full skill set, Jalen Tolbert has monster game". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ↑ Stephenson, Creg (December 2, 2021). "South Alabama's Jalen Tolbert named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year". AL.com. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Jalen Tolbert Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ↑ "2022 Draft Scout Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ↑ "Jalen Tolbert 2022 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "NFL combine 2022: Christian Watson imposing, Jameson Williams lighter amid ACL rehab as WRs, TEs get measured". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
- ↑ Archer, Todd (April 30, 2022). "After a call from Dak Prescott, receiver Jalen Tolbert had a feeling he'd be a Cowboy". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ↑ Eatman, Nick (February 3, 2023). "Tolbert's 2023 Goal: "Show Why I Got Drafted"". Dallascowboys.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ↑ "Jalen Tolbert 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ↑ "Jalen Tolbert 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ↑ Inabinett, Mark (November 6, 2023). "Jalen Tolbert scores his first touchdown for Dallas Cowboys". AL.com. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ↑ "Jalen Tolbert 2024 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Prescott throws TD pass to Tolbert with 20 seconds left to lift Cowboys past Steelers, 20–17". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ↑ "Dolphins sign Tolbert". MiamiDolphins.com. March 16, 2026.
External links
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports
- Miami Dolphins bio
- South Alabama Jaguars bio