Former Cowboys Wide Receiver Turns Heads in UFL Debut

If former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper wants to get back to the NFL, this is probably a good 1st step.

Moreno-Cropper wowed in his UFL debut on Saturday with the Houston Gamblers, returning a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown against the Dallas Renegades.

“Former Cowboys WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper always had the talent,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram Cowboys reporter Nick Harris wrote on his official X account. “He just couldn’t carve a role out in that talented receiver room. Shined in training camp and the preseason, but would’ve been a redundant roster placement next to KaVontae Turpin. He’ll get another rightful NFL shot.”

Moreno-Cropper was with the Cowboys the last 3 seasons, including 3 regular-season games in 2025.

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3 Seasons With Cowboys as Undrafted Free Agent

Other than returning punts and kicks at a high level, Moreno-Cropper and Turpin both have something else in common — they made the Cowboys as undrafted free agents.

Moreno-Cropper, 24 years old, went from Sanger, California, to starring at Fresno State from 2019 to 2022, where he was a 2-time All-Mountain West Conference selection and had 83 receptions for 1,086 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2022.

In 4 seasons, Moreno-Cropper had 3,463 all-purpose yards and 28 total touchdowns — 21 receiving touchdowns,  5 rushing touchdowns, and 2 passing touchdowns.

At the NFL scouting combine, Moreno-Cropper ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds — elite speed by any standard.

NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Moreno-Cropper as a 6th-round pick in his pre-draft evaluation.

“Slot receiver with adequate size who finds ways to get open thanks to tempo variance over route acumen,” Zierlein wrote. “Moreno-Cropper’s ball skills shine when he’s elevating and making adjustments mid-flight, but he struggles when attempting to play through contact and make contested catches. His versatility to throw, run jet sweeps and operate outside of the norm for his position could be intriguing for creative play-callers and teams looking to add competition at receiver on Day 3.”

 

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