Getty

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Jaden Smith with Nevada.

The Dallas Cowboys are bringing in an intriguing prospect at wide receiver with 6-foot-6, 210-pound Jaden Smith, who last spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Cowboys signed former Nevada WR Jaden Smith, per the transaction wire,” Cowboys reporter Joseph Hoyt wrote on X on Wednesday. “Smith spent time with Tampa Bay last season after going undrafted. It’s the second WR they’ve added this week. They also signed SMU UDFA WR Romello Brinson. One note: Smith is 6-foot-6.”

Smith spent the 2025 season with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent — and on injured reserve — but was released in April.

“Former Nevada wide receiver Jaden Smith has signed a contract with the Dallas Cowboys,” Nevada Sports Net’s Chris Murray wrote on X. “The 6-foot-6 Smith played for the Wolf Pack in 2024, catching 62 passes for 849 yards and seven touchdowns following five FCS seasons.”

Jaden Smith Flashed NFL Upside at Nevada

Smith flashed some high upside in his final season at the University of Nevada.

“Smith signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and joined the team’s ongoing training camp,” Murray wrote in July 2025. “Smith spent rookie minicamp in Green Bay and Tampa Bay. Smith is the 13th wideout on the Bucs’ training camp roster. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Smith spent one season with the Wolf Pack, leading the team with 62 catches for 849 yards and seven touchdowns last year after stints at Montana State and Tarleton State. He was All-Mountain West honorable mention. In 45 games with those three programs, he caught 138 passes for 2,100 yards and 20 touchdowns. Nevada head coach Jeff Choate originally signed Smith when he was Montana State’s head coach before adding him as a transfer at Nevada last year.”

Smith had 1 reception for 9 yards in 2 preseason games for the Buccaneers in 2025.

Jaden Smith Possible Red Zone Threat for Dallas

It’s too bad the Buccaneers never got a chance to see how they could use a player with Smith’s height and skill set in the red zone, where he thrived in college.

Maybe that’s what the Cowboys are hoping for this offseason — and possibly through the preseason.

“He’s an elite red zone threat,” Nevada head coach Jeff Choate said in 2024. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been around a guy, and I’ve coached some places, that has anybody any better than Jaden Smith is in the red zone.”

Smith had a pair of 800-yard receiving campaigns in 6 college seasons.

“He also had another 800-plus-yard season with Tarleton State in 2022,” Heavy’s Michael Obermuller wrote in 2025. “Plus, he achieved double-digits receiving touchdowns that year with 10. The remainder of Smith’s collegiate career was less notable.”

Smith was the 2nd wide receiver the Cowboys signed this week after Brinson, 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, who had career highs across the board with SMU in 2025 with 43 receptions for 638 yards and 3 touchdowns.

“Brinson is a field-stretcher, but the middle of his route tree is missing branches,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “He’s a long-strider with good acceleration to build speed and create opportunities for himself on vertical routes. His route-running is less effective on intermediate routes, where he’s slower in and out of breaks. Despite his catch radius and hand size, he wins fewer 50/50 balls than he should when coverage closes him down. Brinson has traits to work with but offers a more limited menu of services for teams.”

Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame