3 things to watch in Cowboys second half of the season

The 6-2 Dallas Cowboys get to use their bye week to rest up before the second half of the season starts next week. Fans, media, and others wrote them off after all that happened the first week of the season, and the team didn’t listen to the noise.

They kept grinding out victories, which led them to the fifth seed entering the bye week.

As the team gets some well-needed rest with the week off, when they return to action in week 10, I have a few things I’ll be keeping a close eye on that could help them keep pulling out victories in the second half of the season.

1. JALEN TOLBERT

The Cowboys’ third-round pick has been an absolute no-show during the season’s first eight weeks.

The Cowboys did not make a move at the trade deadline to add to the WR room, so Tolbert could find a role in the offense as he continues to grow throughout the rest of the year.

I will be the first to admit that I thought he would be one of the guys the offense leaned on both before and after Michael Gallup returned to action, but that role went to Noah Brown, who had a very impressive start to the year.

Tolbert made his first start in the win over the Bears Sunday but did not receive an official target.

“He’s starting to make the routes come to life,” Cowboys wide receivers coach Robert Prince said. “He’s doing a nice job of that in practice and now getting a chance to play.”

I hope the 2021 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year becomes a factor in the passing game in the second half of the season.