The Dallas Cowboys have a project player on their roster this offseason that will provide a great return if he’s able to transition into not just a football player, but a football player at the highest possible level.
During the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Baylor’s Rico Gathers as a project player for this offseason. Though he played four seasons at Baylor, it was four seasons as a basketball player, not four seasons on the gridiron.
Gathers was selected in the sixth round of the draft, the 217th overall selection, where the intrigue was too much for the Cowboys to pass on as this was their final pick, their ninth overall, in this year’s draft. Gathers is a natural athlete and has the frame to play in the NFL, standing at 6-6 and weighing 273 pounds.
Related Story: Cowboys: Top 10 Draft Classes of All-Time
With this selection, the Cowboys are possibly banking on Gathers being the next collegiate basketball player to make noise in the NFL, like former Kansas City Chief and Atlanta Falcon Tony Gonzalez, or Antonio Gates, who currently plays with he San Diego Chargers. Both of those players have most likely Hall of Fame careers (or very close to it), and they are the same mold as Gathers.
At his Pro Day, Gathers ran a 4.75 40-yard dash, had a brand jump of 9’7” and his 20-yard shuttle time was clocked in at 4.56 seconds.
This isn’t a bad project for the Cowboys to take on because they have very little to lose and a lot to gain if this “project” turns into a player who can become the heir apparent of Jason Witten, or at least a productive member of the offense, because there needs to be some competition within the second tight end role on their current roster with Gavin Escobar currently in that role for the past three seasons. James Hanna is also on the roster.
According to player grades by Pro Football Focus, Witten was the highest graded Cowboys tight end at 70.6 overall (617 pass snaps, 424 run snaps), while Hanna graded in at 65.1 (89 pass snaps, 142 run snaps) and Escobar had a grade of 56.2 (107 pass snaps, 134 run snaps), as those grades leave room for improvement.
During his basketball days at Baylor, Gathers averaged nearly a double-double with 11.2 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game as that showcases his versatility as an athlete, though basketball in the Big XII and professional football with the Cowboys are two different animals.
Drew Davidson of The Star-Telegram quoted Gathers in a recent article about being committed to football:
"“I haven’t even thought about that,” he said. “I’m a football player. I’m totally committed to this.”"
Davidson also wrote this in the same article:
"“Jason Witten remains the standard bearer in the tight end room, and James Hanna signed a three-year extension this off-season. Gavin Escobar is recovering from an Achilles injury and could miss the start of the season, and the Cowboys still have Geoff Swaim on the roster. That makes it an uphill battle for Gathers to make the team, but perhaps he shows enough to justify a practice squad spot.”"
Yes, this will be an uphill battle for Gathers, and it should be a battle Cowboys fans are wanting Gathers to overcome and win, because the potential is undetermined. If he does pan out into a tight end one day, and even makes the roster this year, what a steal that would be, and for the price, it can be one that shows just how improved the Cowboys scouting department is becoming with the later round choices, and not just the stars of the draft.
More nfl spin zone: Cowboys: Will Andy Jones provide depth on roster?
Though it is doubtful Gathers gains a 53-man roster spot this season, he can be on the practice squad (if other teams don’t take him) and has a full season to learn the position from work on the field, meeting rooms and learning the position from one of the best to ever play in the NFL in Witten. If that can all occur, with the time the Cowboys will put in with Gathers, along with being a sixth-round selection, a lot can be gained for the future of this franchise if all of the stars align just right.