Moore May Be Big Enough to End Up With Cowboys

Among the six candidates vying to be the fifth and sixth wide receivers on the Dallas roster this summer is former San Fernando High and Los Angeles Express end Malcolm Moore.

The Cowboys chose Moore, a 6-4, 200-pound receiver who played at USC, in the 1984 supplemental draft of USFL players. He was released by the Express in February.

With top rookies such as Mel Lattany, Leon Gonzalez and Karl Powe looking impressive at the Cowboys’ training camp at Cal Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks, Moore’s experience in the United State Football League could be helpful.

Whatever Moore’s fate, he now knows the difference between the NFL and USFL.

“The competition here is a lot tougher,” said Moore, who caught 36 passes for the Express in 1984 and earned All-American and All-City honors at San Fernando in 1979.

“The guys out here hit a lot harder and are much bigger and stronger than USFL players,” Moore said.

Moore likes the Cowboys’ pass-oriented offense.

“This is the ideal team for me, they pass a lot,” he said. “My goal is to make this team as a receiver. This is a good organization. With the Express, there were so many outside things going on that the players couldn’t concentrate. Guys got caught up in the team’s financial problems.

Although Coach Tom Landry is high on Gonzalez and Powe, he also admires a few things about Moore.

“He’s a good big target and he runs good pass patterns,” said Landry. “He’s got good hands and has average speed. He’s still out here.

“He might not be as fast as Gonzalez, but then again, he’s a big man.”

Cowboy Notes

Drew Pearson, the Cowboys’ all-time leading receiver with 489 receptions and 7,822 yards, attended the team’s morning practice session Wednesday. Pearson is working as a sports reporter for a CBS affiliate in San Antonio. Pearson worked as an analyst for eight NFL broadcasts last season with CBS. His contract was not renewed. . . . Pearson was forced to retire after suffering a serious injury in an automobile accident in March, 1984.

The Cowboys released Central Florida free-agent quarterback Dana Thyhsen on Wednesday, trimming their roster down to 108. There are now 49 veterans and 59 first-year players and rookies.

Tackle-guard Howard Richards is sidelined with a sore knee. Richards, the Cowboys’ first-round draft pick in 1981, had knee surgery last season.