The Dallas Cowboys have a long history of finding undrafted free agents who make the roster right away and go on to have productive careers.
The best examples are players like Tony Romo and Miles Austin, but more recent examples include Brevyn Spann-Ford, Hunter Luepke, and T.J. Bass.
The 2026 free-agent class has some talented players in it, including Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers, two highly athletic tight ends who will compete for a roster spot. But there is another pass catcher who warrants attention, and that is Jordan Hudson from SMU.
Jordan Hudson could be the Dallas Cowboys' latest UDFA steal
Despite having a draftable grade from many analysts, Hudson fell out of the draft and was signed by Dallas shortly after the seventh round concluded.
It was a slow burn for Hudson in college, but he had a breakout 2025 season, where he caught 61 passes for 766 yards and six touchdowns during his senior season. While he had produced in the previous two seasons, it took until 2025 for him to become the focal point of the SMU offense.
Hudson measured in at 6-1, 191 pounds at the NFL Combine, but bulked up to 199 pounds by the time he got to SMU’s Pro Day. His best work comes as an outside receiver, and SMU primarily used him as an “X receiver” in their offense. Here is a snippet of what Lance Zierlein from NFL.com had to say about the former SMU star going into the draft:
“(Hudson’s) above average at tracking and adjusting to 50/50 balls, but he will see a high rate of contested tries. He’s an underrated “add yards” option, as he’s shown he can slither and slam his way into extra yardage. Hudson is a consistent, competitive finisher who needs to prove he can create pro-level throwing windows to settle in as a WR4/5 option.”
While it’s not entirely fair to compare him to this player, there are parts of Hudson’s game that are similar to Michael Gallup coming out of Colorado State. Hudson needs a lot of work when it comes to beating press coverage and working against zone coverage, but he has a knack for making spectacular plays when the ball is in the air. And as Zierlein mentioned, he is much better after the catch than you would expect given his frame.
The Cowboys have a pretty clear-cut top-four at wide receiver right now with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, and KaVonate Turpin (KR/PR), but there is room for a developmental WR5 or WR6. Jonathan Mingo surely isn’t a lock to make the roster, and the only other “young” receivers Hudson will be competing with are Anthony Smith and Traeshon Holden.
Dallas did sign Tyler Johnson and Marquez Valdes-Scantling this offseason, but those seem more like camp bodies than long-term options. Ideally, the No. 5 and No. 6 wide receivers on the roster would be able to play special teams, and that’s where Hudson could have a leg up on the competition, given that he played on kick coverage in prior seasons.
The Cowboys love to load up the back end of their roster with young players on cheap deals like Hudson, so you can bet that they are going to give him every opportunity to earn a roster spot. And while that might seem like too big a jump for an UDFA receiver to make the 53-man roster in Year 1, it’s happened plenty of times before in Dallas.
Keep an eye on Hudson throughout the offseason workouts and training camp as he has an excellent chance to steal a roster spot, especially given that he can play on the outside and in the slot. It’s obviously too soon to call him a free-agent steal, but he has all the traits of a player who could end up being a big value for Dallas.
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