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Did the Dallas Cowboys botch the Rico Gathers situation?

By Steven Mullenax

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 12: Rico Gathers #80 of the Dallas Cowboys catches a pass as Folarin Orimolade #56 of the Los Angeles Rams defends during the second half of a presason game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 12: Rico Gathers #80 of the Dallas Cowboys catches a pass as Folarin Orimolade #56 of the Los Angeles Rams defends during the second half of a presason game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Did the Dallas Cowboys mishandle tight end Rico Gathers last season, stunting his development and damaging their relationship with the player to boot?

The Dallas Cowboys made Baylor basketball star forward Rico Gathers their final draft selection in the now famous 2016 NFL Draft. That’s despite the fact Gathers hadn’t played organized football since the eighth grade. The Cowboys went about the business of developing the raw physical talent and molding him into an NFL player.

Entering his third season in Dallas, Gathers seems no closer to making the Cowboys 53-man roster. That’s despite the recent retirement of long time veteran tight end Jason Witten and the team’s desperate need for a replacement.

As of today, Gathers appears to be at the end of the Cowboys’ depth chart at the position. The favorite to take over the starting role in Dallas is fourth round rookie Dalton Schultz, which should a cold splash of reality for veterans like Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin and Gathers.

Gathers was the talk of the team last preseason, as the massive 6-foot-6, 285 pound tight end recorded back-to-back touchdowns during his first two preseason games. He appeared to be the Cowboys most effective offensive weapon in both contests.

Unfortunately, a helmet-to-helmet collision with safety Kavon Frazier in practice ended Gathers successful run and forced him to the Cowboys Injured Reserve list. The second year player cleared concussion protocol and was eligible for return after Week Seven. But Dallas’ front office elected not to use their short-term IR designation on him, essentially ending his season.

The Cowboys already had tight ends Witten, Swaim, James Hanna on their active roster at the time. And amidst rumors that Jarwin was going to be signed off their practice squad by the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas chose to promote him to the active roster just prior to Week Eight. Thus closing the window on a return for Gathers.

Unfortunately, no one from the organization apparently explained the situation to Gathers directly.

"“For the most part, I was excited after getting cleared, but the people above had bigger expectations for me rather than me coming in and practicing and getting back on the field,” Gathers told Pro Football Talk. “Really they didn’t tell me anything. But I could just tell by the drift of the season and the drift of the coaching staff that I probably wasn’t going to play last year anyway.”"

It’s likely the Cowboys believed Gathers simply wasn’t ready to play in his first regular season game. And they though getting another offseason of training under his belt would be beneficial. But it is clear Gathers is already a capable red zone threat. But something is holding this coaching staff from trusting the one-time Basketball player and allowing him to climb the depth chart.

At this point, who even knows if the reason why is even being communicated to Gathers. One thing is clear. The young tight end is apparently losing faith that he’ll be on this Cowboys team when the regular season starts.

"“For me it’s just about focusing on getting better,” Gathers told DallasCowboys.com. ” … I’ve got to make sure I’m healthy and make sure I’m able to be on somebody’s 53-man roster.”"

Clearly, we are not being shown the entire picture here. This was player that was an absolute beast in practices with former quarterback Tony Romo at the helm his rookie season, spent numerous snaps playing along the offensive line to improve his blocking skills and tore up the preseason last year.

The fact Gathers is talking about possibly playing elsewhere in 2018 is a sign that the relationship between the team and the player has been fractured in some way. With the Cowboys investing now three years in developing Gathers, the onus falls on them to be honest with the player and clearly communicate what they need from him. But again, we aren’t seeing the entire picture.

Next: Dallas Cowboys: 15 best first-round picks of all-time

All we know is Rico Gathers appears to be an asset that the Dallas Cowboys refuse to use for some reason. And that reason is likely because his coaches, who watch him everyday, believe there are better tight ends on the roster right now.

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