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Cowboys already depleted at WR in 2nd practice session

The Cowboys’ 2022 season opener is still over 100 days away, but there’s already cause for (mild) concern at a key position, at least based on what was seen during the very first OTA session of the year open to media observers.

The team on Wednesday was at well less than 100 percent with its receiving corps, a group that was already thin with the offseason trade of Amari Cooper and departure of Cedrick Wilson.

Several Cowboys reporters in attendance at The Star in Frisco noted that the Dallas offense was without free agent signee James Washington and that draft pickup Jalen Tolbert was working with trainers off to the side. Both players are expected to be heavily involved in the passing game- especially early in the season, given the status of veteran Michael Gallup as he rehabs from an ACL procedure undergone in February.

Washington, the fifth-year man signed in March, was seen in a walking boot on his left foot and did not practice with the team on Wednesday. That came as something of a surprise to observers, as the 26-year-old came to Dallas from Pittsburgh without any known injuries.

Washington himself shed some light on the situation following practice.

“I really just went home one night after working out and it didn’t feel quite right,” he said. “It’s nothing serious. More precautionary. I’m sure I’ll be back next week.”

Tolbert, the Cowboys’ third-round selection out of South Alabama, was also held out of team drills. He was seen working on resistance cords with director of rehabilitation Britt Brown.

It’s not known what issue Tolbert might be working through; he was making leaping grabs in a full-action photo shoot for card/memorabilia company Panini America last week and was spotted as recently as Tuesday night at Game 4 of the NBA conference finals between the Warriors and Mavericks.

CeeDee Lamb, Simi Fehoko, Noah Brown, and T.J. Vasher were said to have been getting a lot of reps at receiver on Wednesday. The offense also took the opportunity to run a good deal of plays out of “20 personnel” with both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.

Pollard was even lined up as the slot receiver in the very first drill of the day.

Wednesday’s voluntary session was the second of eight OTA practices and the first that was open to the media. Work is scheduled to resume June 1-2.

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