Dallin

Holker

Holker was signed by the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State last season. He caught three passes for 21 yards as a rookie and dealt with an ankle injury earlier this offseason. Holker was slated to be a depth piece in the Saints’ tight end room but now steps away from football at 25 years old.

The Saints surprisingly have eight tight ends on the roster, so QBs Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler will still have an ample number of big-bodied targets to target. Mostly, this benefits No. 1 TE Juwan Johnson, who signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract this offseason. He should dominate first-team reps with the Nos. 2 and 3 tight ends sidelined. Both Hill (ACL) and Moreau (undisclosed) underwent surgery to correct their respective knee injuries. Holker was a fun 2024 undrafted free agent prospect, who led FBS tight ends in targets (105), receptions (64) and receiving yards (766) in 2023, clearly benefitting from facing soft competition at Colorado State.

This is a new injury for the Saints’ No. 3 WR. Details have yet to be released as to the severity and his projected recovery timeline so it remains possible he suits up for Week 1. A mid-week injury is never ideal though. Perry is unlikely to command a high target share even if healthy but the team is also likely to be without rookie TE Dallin Holker (ankle) who failed to practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Their potential absences push a few more targets toward the Saints’ top-heavy pass-catching corps, particularly No. 1 WR Chris Olave.

Holker earned an undrafted free agent contract after leading 2023 FBS tight ends in targets (105), receptions (64) and receiving yards (766). He is unlikely to hop Juwan Johnson and Taysom Hill on the depth chart in year one but should be safely stashed on dynasty benches and monitored in deep, tight end-premium leagues.

Starting his college career at BYU, Holker (6’3/241) played in 12 games as a freshman before going on his Mormon missionary service and missing the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He would return in 2021 and transfer to Colorado State in 2023. Holker caught 64 passes for 767 yards and six touchdowns in his final college season. He was named a finalist for the John Mackey Award for his breakout year. At the combine, Holker displayed good hands, making a one-handed catch in the gauntlet drill. Athletically, his length enforces his pass-catching ability and his last year of production shows his capacity as a receiver. Holker’s blocking needs improvement with his smaller size, though as an older prospect, teams won’t be as invested in his upside. Holker is joining a thin tight end room in New Orleans and may be able to stick around as a special teamer and situational receiver.

Holker was one of the top recruits for BYU in 2018, and he caught 19 passes for 235 yards in his first year with the Cougars. While not announced, missions are typically two years, so Holker will be able to return with three years left to play assuming he comes back in 2021.