As the Cowboys move toward training camp in Oxnard, the wide receiver room already has a clear front end. CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin sit in the top four, which leaves the rest of the group fighting for what could be a single spot if Dallas keeps only five receivers.
That’s where Traeshon Holden enters the picture. He has mostly faded from the conversation, but there’s a real chance he forces his way back into it this summer, even if that means pushing veterans Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jonathan Mingo down the pecking order.
Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News said Holden has already shown up higher in the rotation than many expected.
"Holden appeared during minicamp to be higher in the wide receiver rotation than he was last year and, frankly, than was expected to start this offseason," Hoyt wrote.
Holden came to Dallas last April as an undrafted free agent and quickly became one of the camp surprises a year ago. Most of his work came with the second-team offense, but he kept flashing in a big way, regularly making highlight catches and finding the end zone during practice.
The problem was never the ball skills. Holden could make plays.
The issue was the rest of the job description. He wasn’t a strong blocker, and he never earned a role on special teams, which matters a lot for receivers trying to stick at the back end of the roster.
Last year, Holden would have needed to beat out Jalen Tolbert and Ryan Flournoy, both of whom contributed on special teams. Jonathan Mingo also had the edge of being a recent trade pickup, which made him tougher to dislodge. With Tolbert now gone in free agency and Dallas seemingly less tied to Mingo than it was a year ago, Holden has a cleaner path than he did before.
Still, the path only opens if he handles the unglamorous work. For receivers on the fringe, special teams can decide everything.
If Holden keeps making plays as a pass catcher and adds value in that phase, the Cowboys are going to have a tough call on their hands.
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