Mauricio Rodriguez talks about one of the Cowboys' UDFA signings, WR Traeshon Holden, who could potentially fill a very big role in the Dallas offense. However, his contract tells a different story...
00:00So one Dallas Cowboys undrafted free agent has quickly emerged as a fan favorite.
00:05However, there's already a bad omen about his future with the team.
00:13Hey, what's up, everyone? It's Mauricio Rodriguez here at ADZ Sports Dallas.
00:17We have talked a lot about draft picks and UDFAs after the 2025 NFL draft.
00:22And earlier in the week, we discussed Elijah Clark and how the high guaranteed money on his deal basically means that he has a high chance of making the 53-man roster.
00:35Well, the opposite is also true. The less guaranteed money on your deal, the less likely you are to make the team after roster cuts.
00:44And that's what brings us here today because we are about to discuss one of the favorite UDFA classes from the fans' point of view.
00:51And I think it's very easy to see why he has emerged as a fan favorite.
00:55And I am talking, of course, about former Oregon Duck, Trashan Holden.
01:00He's a wide receiver, and I think that's where we should start.
01:03Cowboys fans, they just want a wide receiver, and I don't blame them. The team needs one.
01:08Beyond CeeDee Lamb, there's no proven number two.
01:11And it's pretty easy to get excited this time of the year when looking at highlights for players
01:15to buy into the idea that this undrafted underdog rookie could emerge as a surprise starting wideout.
01:23I'm not buying it for one second, but that's how I think fans oftentimes feel.
01:29The thing about Holden, though, is we kind of got hit with a bucket of iced water on Monday
01:34when ESPN's start Arca reported the money for each undrafted player's deal.
01:38And in Holden's case, there is no guaranteed money at all.
01:44Zero, cero, nada, none.
01:46And that's, of course, worrying for the rookie.
01:49And especially when you look at the rest of the players on the undrafted class, on the Cowboys,
01:53the next lowest on the list in terms of guaranteed money is sitting at $35,000.
01:58You have two players above $200,000, and Holden's signing bonus is only $3,000, which is crazy.
02:06Now, I'm not here to tell you why that happened or didn't happen, though, if I had to guess,
02:11maybe it has to do a little bit with the character concerns he had coming out of college.
02:15That includes a 2023 arrest and the fact that he spit on an Ohio State player last season.
02:21He's been said to be an emotional outburst kind of guy, and I'm not saying that will stop him from being an NFL player,
02:27but maybe that turned away some NFL teams as far as getting into a bidding war for him,
02:33because I would assume with no guaranteed money on his deal, I would assume there wasn't much of a bidding war with him.
02:39Now, it is true.
02:40He has some trades to work with.
02:41He is big.
02:42He has this ability to produce even without top-end speed.
02:47But you know what I say about UDFA money in rookie classes.
02:50You got to follow the money.
02:52And in this case, there's no guaranteed money to follow when it comes to trade Sean Holden.
02:56Now, one more thing to consider about Holden is the fact that, sure, the Cowboys need a starting wide receiver, right?
03:03They need to complement CeeDee Lamb.
03:04But the bottom end of the depth chart, which is where Holden is realistically going to compete, is actually kind of loaded.
03:11Say you carry five to six wide receivers on your roster.
03:15You have Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, and Kevante Turpin.
03:18They're going to be roster locks.
03:19In addition to that, you get the likes of Ryan Flornor and Jalen Brooks and Jalen Cropper.
03:24It's not going to be easy for him to fit in there.
03:27Oh, and Paris Campbell, who they signed in free agency.
03:30And I still believe they're going to sign somebody else at some point.
03:34So, yes, there's a lot of excitement going around when it comes to trade Sean Holden.
03:38All I'm saying is the money is telling you to calm down if you are hoping for him to be on the team.
03:44And I think that would be wise to just temper your expectations a little bit with the Cowboys rookie.
