5. Rico Gathers, TE
Last season felt like a very important one for 2016 sixth-round pick Rico Gathers. A former Baylor basketball star, Gathers joined Dallas after not playing organized football since middle school. He was a projection pick for sure, and the team has been very patient with him — even keeping him on the roster following a marijuana arrest the same night the team was making the final decisions on the original 2018 53-man roster.
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Once on the roster, Gathers was hardly heard from. He was the team’s fourth tight end but still was active for 15 games, while being credited with four starts. Those starts were often when the team began the game in a jumbo set, trying to run the ball (on a side note, fans hope to never see this three-tight end sets ever again now that Scott Linehan is gone).
On the year, he had just seven targets come his way and Gathers pulled in three of those for 45 yards. He did have a couple passes thrown his way that could have been for big plays, but they were off target, one of which was when Gathers was running free for what would have been an easy touchdown grab.
This season, he finds himself again fighting for a spot. He’s behind Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz, who each progressed more than him last season. IN addition to those two young tight ends, Gathers again has Jason Witten ahead of him on the depth chart as he came out of retirement to rejoin the team.
The good news for Gathers is that Dallas didn’t use a draft pick on a tight end. That means he should be able to make the team as long as they continue to keep four tight ends and don’t bring in anyone else they like as other teams widdle down their roster. Even so, it feels like this is the final training camp for Gathers to make a lasting impression.