In 1973, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys and made the team as a third-team wide receiver because of his special teams play. As a rookie, he replaced Otto Stowe after Stowe suffered a broken ankle in the seventh game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles, and his backup Mike Montgomery would also fall to injury in the next game. He appeared in 14 games with 6 starts, making 22 receptions for 388 yards and 2 touchdowns.