By Ross Jackson
It’s been a surprising start to New Orleans Saints training camp already. Following the retirement of veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu, the team announced that it had waived tight end Dallin Holker.
Holker Announces His Retirement
Holker then took to Instagram to announce that he too would be stepping away from the game of football after just one season.
One source with knowledge of Holker’s decision strongly suggested that the young tight end’s ongoing battle with an ankle injury may have expedited the decision. Regardless of the underlying reason behind the retirement, Holker now moves on to his next steps. Meanwhile, the Saints do too.
On the same day that Holker retired, two more tight ends were added to the Physically Unable to Perform list to start camp. Both Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill will be unavailable to begin camp, but can return at any time from the designation.
That leaves the door wide open for a group of young tight ends behind established veterans Juwan Johnson and Jack Stoll to stand out. Perhaps the most revitalized trajectory is that of rookie tight end Moliki Matavao.
New Life for Matavao
The seventh-round pick is a prototypical tight end at 6-foot-6 and 263 pounds. His experience as a blocker in his early collegiate days at Oregon may be the most important experience he’s earned, but his standout receiving season at UCLA last year sure doesn’t hurt.
Previously, it looked like Matavao would have the toughest path to the roster of any drafted rookie in 2025. After Holker’s departure and the injury designations for Moreau and Hill, he has a major opportunity ahead of him as camp begins.
He’s gone from being a practice squad competitor at a stacked position to a potential roster spot holder until the position is fully healthy.
Throughout camp, he’ll have to show off that receiving prowess that made him the leading receiver at UCLA last year. But most importantly, and this is often the hurdle for young tight ends, he’ll have to show that he understands the protection and blocking game. He has a head start thanks to his shifting roles in college.
With no timeline for return currently set for Moreau and Hill combined with the likelihood that Hill could miss regular season time early, Matavao’s path to making an impact is now open.
