It has been a while since the Dallas Cowboys have had a wide receiving corps worth getting excited about. For the first time since Amari Cooper and prime Michael Gallup donned the silver and blue, CeeDee Lamb finally has legitimate help again. And we're not just talking about George Pickens.
The WR room is so deep that the coaching staff will have to make some tough cuts. That may or may not include undrafted rookie Traeshon Holden, who has made serious waves in camp and continued to impress head coach Brian Schottenheimer in Saturday's preseason loss against the Rams.
"Every day. He shows up every day. He really does. Every day, he makes a play...That’s a guy you’re going to continue to see moving up the depth chart," Schottenheimer said of Holden.
Cowboys may have found their next Michael Gallup in UDFA Traeshon Holden
It was a relatively quiet preseason debut for Holden, but no receiver was able to make an impact as Joe Milton struggled to find a rhythm. Despite that, the rookie out of Oregon led the team with 42 receiving yards.
Most of that came on one completion, but it was by far the most explosive play of the game for the Cowboys. The Rams were admittedly in zone coverage, but Holden beat his man out of his break and Joe Milton fired a strike in between the cornerback and safety. It was an impressive over-the-shoulder grab from Holden in a tight window. Sound familiar?
Cowboys fans might remember a rookie Michael Gallup hauling in a 30-yard touchdown from Dak Prescott in his first ever preseason game in 2018. Gallup and Holden tested very similarly coming out of Colorado State and Oregon, respectively.
Michael Gallup Traeshon Holden
6'1", 205 pounds 6'2" 205 pounds
4.51 40-yard dash 4.57 40-yard dash
1.53 10-yard split 1.51 10-yard split
36" vertical 32" vertical
10'2" broad jump 10'3" broad jump
Neither player wowed with their athleticism in pre-draft testing. Gallup was admittedly more productive in college than Holden, but that can be attributed to Holden playing at two flagship programs in Alabama and Oregon. He was never the featured WR at either school.
However, the similarities are undeniable. Like Gallup, Holden has great size, hands and body control. While Gallup might have the edge in the contested catch department, Holden is sneaky good at creating yards after the catch.
The only issue for Holden is that he isn't a guarantee to make the roster. The Cowboys have three potential locks behind Lamb and Pickens: KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo. He also has to fend off Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy, both of whom played well against the Rams.
In a different year, Dallas wouldn't think twice about keeping Holden. However, he'll probably be a hot commodity on waivers if he's cut so the front office needs to be careful or they'll lose him for good. That would be a real shame because he clearly belongs on an NFL roster.