The arrival of Von Miller meant that the Dallas Cowboys were going to have to cut somebody loose. Some speculated that Phil Mafah would go on IR/designated to return with the chest injury he suffered in Dallas' preseason win over the Seattle Seahawks.
That did not come to pass. Instead, the Cowboys have waived wide receiver Traeshon Holden, per Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News.
This comes in the aftermath of Holden's horror show Saturday night in Seattle that was headlined by a muffed punt that gave the Seahawks a 1st-and-goal.
Cowboys reportedly waive WR Traeshon Holden after signing Von Miller
You never want to see any player get cut. But Holden's dismissal hits differently than most, given how well he performed in Oxnard last summer.
Holden was the 2026 version of Camden Brown, immediately endearing himself to Cowboys fans. The big difference? Unlike Brown, Holden's domination on the practice field didn't translate into the preseason. That, coupled with his lack of special teams chops, is why he didn't make the 53-man roster as a rookie.
Cowboys fans held out hope that Holden would return with a vengeance this summer. While he popped up here and there in training camp, it largely came with the second- and third-stringers, and you just didn't hear his name nearly as much as last year.
Holden's muffed punt was as boneheaded as can be, but it's not why Dallas decided to move on. He was firmly behind Camden Brown and Jonathan Mingo on the WR depth chart.
Without a realistic path to the 53, his special teams blunder only reinforced what the coaching staff already knew.
Traeshon Holden's release clears a roster runway for Camden Brown
At the end of the day, Holden's fumble was his most memorable moment this summer. He needed a strong camp and preseason to make this roster, and it never materialized.
Let this be a reminder that, when making 53-man roster predictions, special teams matters a lot more for wide receivers on the bubble than their ability to make plays on offense.
Even though Camden Brown had already passed Holden on the depth chart, this removes yet another obstacle in the Georgia Southern product’s path to the 53-man roster. There's a lot of firepower in Dallas' WR room, but Brown has made himself uncuttable.
If he puts together another strong outing this Saturday against Arizona, the Cowboys may decide they've seen all they need to from the rookie.
It's a tough outcome, but hopefully just a bump in the road for Holden. He belongs in the NFL. It just won't be with Dallas.
Add us as a preferred source on Google