Soon enough, the Dallas Cowboys will take the field for training camp. Before you know it, they'll be suiting up to face the New York Giants in Week 1, but there's no reason to rush what's shaping up to be a highly entertaining summer in Oxnard.
While most of the starting roles are already written in ink, there are plenty of backup jobs and rotational roles still up for grabs.
With a top four of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, and KaVontae Turpin, wide receiver may be the most settled position on the roster. If the Cowboys only keep five, the rest of the room could be duking it out for one spot.
Even though he's become a forgotten man in the room, don't rule out Traeshon Holden crashing the depth chart this summer, even if it comes at the expense of veterans Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jonathan Mingo.
Cowboys WR Traeshon Holden is a player to watch in training camp
Very little was heard of Holden during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, but Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News believes the second-year WR is higher on the depth chart than what was 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.
Signed by the Cowboys last April as an undrafted free agent, Holden was one of the biggest surprises of training camp last year. Though most of his reps came with the second-team offense, he made the most of his opportunities, seemingly hauling in a highlight-reel catch or finding the end zone every practice.
As far as making plays for the offense, Holden checked every box. However, the then-rookie wasn't a strong blocker and never carved out a role on special teams -- two essentials for depth receivers.
Holden would've had to beat out Jalen Tolbert and Ryan Flournoy, both of whom contributed on special teams. Not only that, but Jonathan Mingo had the advantage of being a recent trade acquisition, making him difficult to unseat. With Tolbert gone in free agency and Dallas (hopefully) less invested in Mingo than it was a year ago, Holden may have a real path onto the 53-man roster.
However, he'll have to prove he can handle the thankless responsibilities of the position. For receivers at the bottom of the depth chart, special teams often determines who makes the roster and who doesn't.
If Holden has another impressive summer catching the football and rounds out his game on special teams, the Cowboys will have a very difficult decision to make.
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