Fans could see this coming from a mile away. Traeshon Holden’s muffed punt against Seattle was the kind of mistake bubble players can’t afford. Once Dallas signed Von Miller, the math was brutal: if one guy puts on the jersey, somebody else has to take it off. Holden was already fighting for a spot on a crowded depth chart, and Dallas is treating 2026 like there’s no room for dead weight. The Cowboys needed the roster spot, and Holden became the easiest cut.

“Cowboys cut WR Traeshon Holden to make room for Von Miller,” Pro Football Talk posted on X.

According to multiple reports, Dallas waived the second-year receiver to officially make room for Von Miller. Holden’s Cowboys story had already been a grind. He arrived in 2025 as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon, was waived during final roster cuts on August 26, then brought back a day later on the practice squad. He spent the rest of his rookie season there without appearing in a regular-season game, then signed a reserve/future contract in January 2026 to earn another shot at a roster spot.

That second chance got Holden to 2026, but one ugly play put him right back on the chopping block. With 8:21 left in the fourth quarter against Seattle, he muffed a punt near the goal line and handed the Seahawks the ball at the Dallas 5-yard line. The defense bailed him out, but Holden had already damaged his own roster case. Bubble receivers cannot cough up punts and expect patience. Schottenheimer said Holden knew he blew it. Dallas clearly did too.

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“I don’t know. I want to talk to him. I know he was disappointed. He knew he made a mistake. Traeshon wants to win. He’s competing. I think any time players step up, you can be affected by that. But Traeshon’s a pro, and he’ll bounce back,” Schottenheimer Said.

Dallas saw enough to keep Holden around, bringing him back on the practice squad in 2025 and giving him another shot in 2026.

And for a while, that faith looked justified. Holden turned heads during last year’s training camp and backed it up in the preseason, putting together a couple of solid outings. He hauled in two catches for 42 yards in one exhibition game, then followed that up with two more catches for 22 yards in the preseason finale. Not bad production. The only thing missing was a regular-season snap, since he never got on the field during the season.

But the muffed punt was not Holden’s only special-teams mistake. On the opening kickoff of the second half, he was flagged for an illegal block above the waist. The return reached the Dallas 28, but the penalty at the 26 pushed the Cowboys back to their own 16 for Joe Milton’s first drive.

For a bubble receiver, it was another costly mistake. Fans had little sympathy. One summed it up bluntly: “DO YOUR JOB OR ELSE.”

Dallas has never been shy about choosing veterans over projects. They signed Parris Campbell in 2025, and Holden became the latest reminder. Once Von Miller was available, Dallas made the choice quickly. Holden was a fringe player; Miller came with 138.5 career sacks, eight Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pro selections, two Super Bowl rings, and a Super Bowl MVP. The roster spot was never really a debate.

Now he’s out of a job in Dallas, at least for the moment. If nobody claims him, he’s free to sign wherever he wants, and nothing is stopping the Cowboys from bringing him back either.

Either way, the numbers game at receiver just got a little less crowded. With Holden gone, there’s one fewer name competing for that fifth wide receiver spot on Dallas’s 53-man roster, and Von Miller officially has his.

Who wins the Cowboys’ final receiver spot?

The top of Dallas’ receiver room looks settled. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens headline the group, while KaVontae Turpin and Ryan Flournoy already have defined roles. That left Holden fighting for scraps at the bottom of the depth chart.

The real intrigue is further down the roster. With Holden gone, the race for the final receiver spots now includes Jonathan Mingo, Camden Brown, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Right now, Mingo and Brown look like the ones to beat. Both outplayed Valdes-Scantling in the preseason opener against Seattle. Mingo chipped in two catches for 20 yards, solid but modest production.

Brown, on the other hand, was the story of the game, hauling in three catches for a team-high 62 yards and two touchdowns. It was a contested grab where he had to wrestle with a Seahawks player for the ball before grabbing it; that was his first score. His second one was even better; it was a one-handed grab on a fade route in the end zone.

However, Dallas definitely has a lot invested in Mingo since the team traded for him in 2024. With Miller now in the fold, the question is what Dallas will do with the rest of its roster.