Jalen Dalton (born August 5, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

and was signed by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2019. He has also spent time with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

and

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Early life and education

Dalton was born on August 4, 1997, in

Clemmons, North Carolina Clemmons is a village in Forsyth County, North Carolina, Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States and a suburb of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Winston-Salem. The population was 21,177 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, with an ...

. He attended West Forsyth High School where he was a first-team all-state selection. Rivals.com ranked him the fourth-best

recruit nationally and the best player in the state. After graduating, he announced his commitment to play

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

in November 2014. Among North Carolina's highest recruits, Dalton appeared in nine games as a true

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

, recording 15

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

. He was considered "lean" for his position at 250 pounds, and increased his weight to 290 for the 2016 season, describing his diet as "eat whatever." As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

that year, he made an appearance in all of the school's 13 games and was a starter in two of them, making a total of 27 tackles, including 1.5 for-loss, a blocked kick, and a

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

recovery. As a junior in 2017, Dalton started three games and appeared in six additional, finishing the year with 28 tackles, three sacks and 8.0 , the latter of which placed second on the team. Dalton appeared in seven games as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, and made 23 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 4.5 TFLs. He finished his college career with 93 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

After going unselected in the

2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...

, Dalton was signed by the

as an

, following a successful rookie minicamp. He was waived at the final roster cuts, on August 31.

New Orleans Saints

On December 18, 2019, he was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

. He was signed to a futures contract on January 6, 2020. He suffered a season-ending injury in August 2020. In 2021, Dalton appeared to be heading towards a final roster spot with the Saints, but suffered another season-ending injury. He was released by New Orleans on May 3, 2022, having not appeared in a single game in his four seasons with the team.

Atlanta Falcons

On June 16, 2022, Dalton was signed by the

. He suffered an injury in preseason and was released with an injury settlement shortly afterwards. On October 18, 2022, Dalton was re-signed to the Falcons' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster for a week eight game against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

, and made his NFL debut in the 37–34 win, recording one tackle. He was signed to the active roster on November 5. He finished the season with seven games played and 13 total tackles. Dalton was waived on June 7, 2023.

Carolina Panthers

On June 8, 2023, Dalton was claimed off waivers by the

. However, Dalton was waived by Carolina with a failed physical designation on June 12.

Seattle Sea Dragons

On October 30, 2023, Dalton signed with the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL. The Sea Dragons folded when the XFL and

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

San Antonio Brahmas

On January 5, 2024, Dalton was drafted by the

San Antonio Brahmas The San Antonio Brahmas are a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Brahmas compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team is owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha ...

during the

2024 UFL dispersal draft The 2024 UFL dispersal draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2024 UFL season and disperse the rosters from the eight teams from its component conferences, the XFL and USFL, that were not retained i ...

. He was placed on Injured reserve on May 14.

Dallas Cowboys

On October 16, 2024, Dalton signed with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

practice squad.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalton, Jalen 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Forsyth County, North Carolina American football defensive tackles Players of American football from North Carolina North Carolina Tar Heels football players Chicago Bears players New Orleans Saints players Atlanta Falcons players Carolina Panthers players Seattle Sea Dragons players San Antonio Brahmas players Dallas Cowboys players