Jalen Brooks

Jalen Allen Brooks (born May 7, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Early life and college Brooks was born on May 7, 2000, and grew up in Harrisburg, North Carolina. He attended Northwestern High School before transferring to Hickory Ridge High School, where he recorded 44 receptions for 771 yards with nine touchdowns as a senior. He committed to play college football at Division II Wingate. He also ran track at Wingate.

As a true freshman at Wingate in 2018, Brooks played 12 games and posted 17 receptions for 297 yards and four touchdowns. The following year, he started 11 of his 12 appearances, and tallied 751 receiving yards off 35 catches with six scores. Brooks was named first-team All-South Atlantic Conference for his performance.

Brooks initially transferred to Tarleton State in 2020, but before the season started transferred again to South Carolina. He was denied eligibility until the fifth game of the season, and ended up playing six contests, four as a starter, while making 11 receptions for 100 yards.

Brooks returned to South Carolina prior to the 2022 season.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys Brooks was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round (244th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft. As a rookie, he appeared in seven games and had six receptions for 64 yards. He was declared inactive in 11 contests.

In 2024, he appeared in 14 games (one start), registering 12 receptions for 177 yards, 4 special teams tackles and one touchdown, which came against the Carolina Panthers (Week 15). In Week 9, he made his first career start against the Atlanta Falcons, collecting 2 receptions for 26 yards. In Week 14, he caught a career-long 41-yard pass against the Washington Commanders. He was declared inactive in 3 contests.

In 2025, he was pushed farther down the depth chart during preseason. He was waived as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day On August 27, 2025. In Week 5, he was elevated to play against the New York Jets, but suffered a knee injury. He was released on October 25 with an injury settlement.

Arizona Cardinals On October 30, 2025, Brooks signed with the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad. He was elevated three times. He was promoted to the active roster on December 16, to provide depth because of injuries to other wide receivers. He appeared in 6 games, making 3 receptions for 51 yards and 10 kickoff returns for 254 yards.

Statistics Regular season Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2023 DAL 6 0 6 64 10.7 24 0 0 0 2024 DAL 14 1 12 177 14.8 41 1 0 02025ARI603511720000 Career 26 1 21 292 14.2 41 1 0 0