Could Traeshon Holden Make the Dallas Cowboys Roster

The preseason is fun because outside of the stars holding out for more money, you get hungry talent fighting for a job and their livelihoods. No matter if a player is a first-round pick or undrafted, rookies are coming into camp to show they belong. One player who has shown up for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason is undrafted rookie free agent Traeshon Holden.

Holden, a wide receiver out of Oregon, was with the Alabama Crimson Tide for his first three years in college. With the Crimson Tide being waist-deep in receiving talent, he transferred to Oregon for some more playing time. Learning how to get on the field, Holden developed a knack for making a difference without the play designed for him. His statistics were never mindboggling, as Holden never reached 500 receiving yards in a single collegiate season.

Holden went undrafted until the Cowboys saw potential in the 6-foot-2 receiver and signed him. The Cowboys didn’t even put much stock into Holden, giving him the lowest signing bonus of all the undrafted free agents at $3,000.

Traeshon Holden came into camp with low expectations for most, but we highlighted on Fans First Sports Network that Holden could find his way onto the 53-man roster due to his run blocking excellence and large frame. Holden is the type of receiver that could fit well in new head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s run-emphasis offense, but it only was a matter of time before Schottenheimer took notice of the rookie.

Schottenheimer commented on Holden after his performance in the Cowboys’ first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams, saying Holden shows up every day and promises “you’ll see [Holden] moving up the depth chart.”

Holden can move up that depth chart if he continues producing, but there are only so many slots to go around on a NFL roster. Teams can’t keep everybody, or else they would.

Holden isn’t realistically knocking CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens off the roster. They’re your one and two receivers.

For the next tier, you have Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin who are battling to be the third receiver on the field. Tolbert can play the outside, forcing the nickel corner to cover Lamb at the snap. Turpin can be a speedy option who will primarily lineup in the slot, or perhaps the backfield.

Then you have the third tier. Jonathan Mingo is the biggest name, only because of the Cowboys trading a fourth-round pick for Mingo at last year’s deadline, but Mingo hasn’t produced to earn a definitive spot on this team. Then you can have your pick for Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Brooks, Jalen Cropper, Josh Kelly, or the man who will likely beat them all out, Traeshon Holden.

Holden is trending towards being the 5th or 6th receiver on this team, a good number for the Cowboys to keep in the case of injuries. We also don’t know if Turpin will receive any disciplinary action for his off-the-field issues this offseason, so Holden can plug in and play a few snaps in that instance.

The Cowboys traditionally keep six receivers on the roster, but Holden’s main competition might be second-year pro Ryan Flournoy. Had Joe Milton not missed a wide open Flournoy in the Rams game, his stats would be comparable to Holden’s in the preseason opener. We can’t always go on the box score for preseason, but Flournoy has turned heads this offseason too.

It’ll be a difficult decision-making process for the Dallas Cowboys and this coaching staff at the end of preseason. But if my money was on anyone to make it a challenging call, it’s undrafted rookie Traeshon Holden, who is proof of a hungry player and is good reason why the NFL doesn’t cancel preseason games.