Rookie Anthony Smith has good reason to be hopeful in his first Cowboys training camp. Dallas has an established history of finding useful wide receiver talent in the late rounds of the draft: Ryan Flournoy, Cedrick Wilson, and Noah Brown are prime examples. Smith looks to join that list in 2026.
Background
Years in NFL: 0
Acquired by: 2026 7th-round pick
After being buried on the depth chart at N.C. State for a few years, Smith transferred to East Carolina in 2024. He started every game for the Pirates over
the last two seasons, making 2025 his best yet with 64 catches for 1,053 yards and seven touchdowns. He emerged as WR1 at ECU, helping lead the offense to a 9-4 season and a bowl win over Pittsburgh.
While he boasts an intriguing mix of size and speed, standing 6’2” and putting up strong numbers at his Pro Day, Smith has noted flaws with suspect hands and unrefined route running. These helped drop Smith to the seventh round and made him the 35th WR taken overall.
Contract Status
Years Left: 4
2026 Cap Hit: $930k
We’ve said it before: these rookie contracts do matter when roster decisions are being made. If the front office needs a tiebreaker between Smith and some other prospects, preserving the full four years of his deal has significant value for cap management. If it looks like Smith is going to give you multiple years of service, delaying next contract talks until 2030 is music to Stephen Jones’ ears.
2026 Projections
Role: Backup WR
Roster Chance: 50%
Smith probably has one of the better situations of the late-round WRs who’ve joined the Cowboys over the last decade. Beyond the top three of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Ryan Flournoy, everything else feels up for grabs. Veterans like Jonathan Mingo, Parris Campbell, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have experience but no real foothold in Dallas. KaVontae Turpin may see his offensive role reduced after mixed results and declining performance in his special teams work. And heck, we can’t even promise that Pickens will be on the active roster at this point.
Clearly, there’s room for a young prospect like Smith, especially as a drafted player, to push his way in. But he’s not the only intriguing rookie WR in this year’s camp, as many saw UDFA Jordan Hudson as a potential pick in last month’s draft. And they both have to worry about Traeshon Holden, a UDFA from last year who became a camp/preseason darling and spent the year on the practice squad.
Anytime you’re talking about the bottom half of a depth chart, you have to discuss special teams. Smith didn’t return kicks or punts in college, but may get chances in camp as a potential backup to Turpin. One area where his size and speed could be useful is on coverage units, especially if he can fill the role of a gunner on punt returns. C.J. Goodwin hasn’t been re-signed by Dallas yet, so the door is open for a younger guy to finally claim that spot.
Ultimately, being a draft pick won’t mean much if Anthony Smith doesn’t show up this summer. But if he does, there’s good reason to think he’ll be on the 53-man roster. WR4 feels like an open competition at this point, which means the fifth and potentially sixth spots would be too. If Smith can add more technique to his raw athletic gifts, he could become Dallas’ next late-round receiver success story.
Check out our previous player profiles from this series:
C Cooper Beebe
G Tyler Booker
S Alijah Clark
EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku
TE Jake Ferguson
S Malik Hooker
LB Shemar James
G Trevor Keegan
FB Hunter Luepke
RB Phil Mafah
WR Jonathan Mingo
CB Devin Moore
LS Trent Sieg
OT Terence Steele
CB Reddy Steward
EDGE Tyrus Wheat
EDGE Sam Williams
