IRVING, Texas - Without stepping past his contractual bounds, Jesse Holley did provide a telling clue the week of Spike TV's 4th and Long premiere when he told the Raleigh-based News & Observer, "I'm in every episode. I can tell you that."
He was right. Not only did the 25-year-old wide receiver last until Monday's 10th and final installment, he also never directly heard Michael Irvin's Trump-esque phrase, "You're cut."
Irvin, the show's indefatigable host, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones presented Holley with a Cowboys jersey and granted him a training camp contract - a tangible opportunity for the New Jersey native to revive an NFL career that, to this point, has featured only a six-week stint on the Bengals' practice squad.
"I would do this 100 times over for this feeling I'm having right now," Holley reflected after Irvin announced his name ("Jesse Holley, the Cowboys can use you") over fellow finalists Andrew Hawkins (WR), Ahmaad Smith (DB) and Eddie Moten (DB) in a special presentation at the new Cowboys Stadium. "If you ever thought that your dreams can't come true, I'm a living example that they can."
Holley, of course, has known about this opportunity for weeks - the 12-player show began filming in the spring - but he could not participate in off-season workouts for obvious spoiler reasons.
He will officially join the team in San Antonio, the site of training camp, as the perceived last player on 80-man roster. The Cowboys currently have 11 receivers, including five returning veterans: Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton, Miles Austin, Sam Hurd and Isaiah Stanback. The other six are Travis Wilson, Mike Jefferson, Willie Reid, seventh-round pick Manuel Johnson and rookie free agents Kevin Ogletree and Julian Hawkins.
Holley's odds of making the 53-man final roster appear long. But he could benefit from extra reps if any of the wideouts get hurt in camp. Five (Austin, Hurd, Stanback, Wilson and Ogletree) missed off-season work with injuries, though some - like Austin's and Hurd's - were somewhat precautionary.
Undrafted out of North Carolina in 2007, Holley was a productive college receiver as well as a backup guard on the Tar Heels' 2005 national champion basketball team. His 6-foot-3 frame might have given him a decided edge over smaller, albeit spirited players like Hawkins and Moten.
Irvin, with the aide of 4th and Long coaches Bill Bates and Joe Avezzano, chose Holley not just for his athletic ability. Like Hawkins and Smith, he showed strong character and work ethic throughout the show.
In addition to Holley's official arrival, the Cowboys also will begin contract negotiations with their 12 draft picks this week. The team typically waits until the week before camp to begin substantive talks, and without a first- or second-round pick this year, presumably should get all dozen rookies signed by next Wednesday's first practice.
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