Cowboys UDFA Wide Receiver Has ‘Great Chance’ to Make 53-Man Roster

While the top 4 spots for wide receivers on the Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster are all but locked up with NFL All-Pro CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert and Kavontae Turpin, there’s still a fierce competition to be had for what should be 2 more active roster spots at the position.

That’s an 8-man battle that could see an undrafted free agent rise to the top, with Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski singling out Josh Kelly as the one who might break through.

“The Dallas Cowboys already took some pressure off of top wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with the acquisition of George Pickens in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Sobleski wrote on May 27. “And the team wouldn’t be upset with an undrafted rookie making the squad and helping out as well. Dallas now has a solid quartet in place with Lamb, Pickens, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin. From there, mostly young players will be battling for the fifth and sixth spots on the roster.”

One thing Kelly has working in his favor is the Cowboys haven’t invested anything truly significant in the position in recent years in terms of the NFL draft. Dallas didn’t take any wide receivers in 2025 and only used sixth and seventh round picks at the position in 2023 and 2024.

Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper reported the Cowboys signed Kelly to a 3-year, $2.97 million contract on May 2.

Kelly is coming off a 1,000-yard receiving season at Texas Tech in 2024 and earned All-Big 12 honors before watching his draft stock tank after an underwhelming performance at the NFL scouting combine.

Kelly, No. 1 Pick Ward Thrived Together in College

Kelly spent his first 4 seasons of college football at Fresno State and was an All-Mountain West Conference pick in 2022.

He transferred to Washington State for the 2023 season, where he had 61 receptions for 923 yards and 8 touchdowns while catching passes from quarterback Cam Ward, who was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Both Ward and Kelly both left Washington State after the 2023 season after the Cougars found themselves without a conference after the Pac-12 disbanded. Ward landed at Miami, where he threw for 4,313 yards, 39 touchdowns and 4 interceptions while Kelly landed at Texas Tech.

Kelly’s 40-Yard Dash Time Sank NFL Draft Hopes

Kelly’s draft stock went in the tank following a disastrous showing at the NFL scouting combine in February, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.70 seconds.

“Kelly has experience playing inside and outside, but the lack of vertical speed he showed on tape popped up again at the NFL Scouting Combine when he ran a 4.70 40-yard dash,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “Kelly put a few highlight catches on tape. However, he lacks separation quickness to lose man coverage and figures to see a higher percentage of contested looks as a pro.”

“Was a big play WR at Tech, wondered a few times watching him play if he’d get signed,” Cowboys fan and X user @Kelly_K_9 wrote. “With how thin our talent is at WR, anythings possible for this kid! Love the long shots!”