Countdown to Kickoff: Jalen Moreno-Cropper is Saints Player of Day 85

There are 85 days remaining until the New Orleans Saints take the field for their 2026 regular season opener. New Orleans will face the Detroit Lions on the road to kick off their year on Sunday, Sept. 13. A recent new addition to the team, wide receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper, currently wears No. 85 as the Saints sit about six weeks away from training camp.

>Jalen Moreno-Cropper was just signed by New Orleans earlier this week after a tryout. As our Saints Player of the Day, let's have a look at his background and career to date.

Name (age): Jalen Moreno-Cropper (25) • >Hometown: Sanger, Calif. • >Position: Wide receiver • >Height, weight: 6-feet, 172 pounds • >College: Fresno State Bulldogs • >Relative Athletic Score: 6.23 • >Drafted: Undrafted in 2023 (Dallas Cowboys) • >NFL experience: 1 year • >2026 salary cap hit: TBDA four-star recruit out of Sanger High School and Buchanan High School in California, Moreno-Cropper would choose the Fresno State Bulldogs to play collegiately. Playing with future Saints draft choice Jake Haener at quarterback, Moreno-Cropper led the Bulldogs in catches and receiving yardage in three of his four seasons. He earned 2nd Team All-MWC honors in 2021 after 83 receptions for 899 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2022, Moreno-Cropper received first team All-MWC recognition with 1,086 yards and 5 scores on a conference-best 85 catches.

>Despite the production, Moreno-Cropper was not selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Instead, he'd sign an undrafted deal with the Dallas Cowboys. From there, he'd spend most of the next three years on the Dallas practice squad. Moreno-Cropper saw one game of regular season action in both 2024 and 2025, but did not record a catch or target.

>At the conclusion of last season, Moreno-Cropper signed with the Houston Gamblers of the United Football League. He played in five games for the Gamblers, recording 291 receiving yards on 22 catches and another 213 as a kick returner. Moreno-Cropper's highlight was a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. With Houston, Moreno-Cropper played with quarterback Hunter Dekkers, another recently signed addition by the Saints after spending 2025 on the team's practice squad.

>Moreno-Cropper will have some fierce competition just to make the New Orleans roster at a loaded wide receiver spot. However, his explosiveness as a kick returner could also have him as a dark horse roster candidate. There, he'll compete with rookie sixth round choice Barion Brown and free-agent pickup Ty Chandler during training camp and preseason.

>This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Jalen Moreno-Cropper is Saints Player of Day 85