By Rainer Sabin Follow @RainerSabinDMN rsabin@dallasnews.com
10:36 pm on October 23, 2014 | Permalink
IRVING — Almost 17 months after he joined the Cowboys, Gavin Escobar still invites curiosity. No one really knows what to make of the 6-6 tight end. The former second-round choice may be the most intriguing player left from the 2013 draft class, which has turned out to pretty darn good.
Until he made two touchdown catches last Sunday, Escobar seemed nothing more than a luxury item for the Cowboys’ offense, like an old Gull-wing Mercedes that someone buys simply to possess it without any intention of taking it out for a spin.
But Escobar wasn’t that, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones insists. Rather, he was viewed as an eventual replacement for perennial Pro Bowler Jason Witten and a potential linchpin in a two-tight-end passing game. In 2013, the Cowboys were contemplating a future with Witten in decline. It’s something the organization appeared to be considering as far back as 2008, when they used a second-round pick on a different tight end, Martellus Bennett.
“One thing you learn with Jason, which is part of his greatness, is that it’s difficult to beat Jason out to get playing time,” Jones said. “He wants to get as many plays as he can . He’s still getting them. He’s really defying what a lot of people would say is Father Time. So whether it’s Martellus or Escobar, you think at some point, ‘When will Jason ‘s career slow down?’ But it obviously hasn’t.
“And the other thought process was, hey, there are a lot of people having a lot of success with two tight ends and we thought long and hard about that with Jason, that we really did well with the 12 and 22 personnel. And we still believe [Escobar's] a really great pick for us.”
That’s debatable. He’s made only 16 catches for 219 yards and five touchdowns in his career. There hasn’t been enough production to suggest he’s a rising star. But maybe last Sunday’s performance is indeed a harbinger for things to come. The Cowboys certainly hope so as they try to extract more out of their intriguing tight end.
10:36 pm on October 23, 2014 | Permalink
IRVING — Almost 17 months after he joined the Cowboys, Gavin Escobar still invites curiosity. No one really knows what to make of the 6-6 tight end. The former second-round choice may be the most intriguing player left from the 2013 draft class, which has turned out to pretty darn good.
Until he made two touchdown catches last Sunday, Escobar seemed nothing more than a luxury item for the Cowboys’ offense, like an old Gull-wing Mercedes that someone buys simply to possess it without any intention of taking it out for a spin.
But Escobar wasn’t that, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones insists. Rather, he was viewed as an eventual replacement for perennial Pro Bowler Jason Witten and a potential linchpin in a two-tight-end passing game. In 2013, the Cowboys were contemplating a future with Witten in decline. It’s something the organization appeared to be considering as far back as 2008, when they used a second-round pick on a different tight end, Martellus Bennett.
“One thing you learn with Jason, which is part of his greatness, is that it’s difficult to beat Jason out to get playing time,” Jones said. “He wants to get as many plays as he can . He’s still getting them. He’s really defying what a lot of people would say is Father Time. So whether it’s Martellus or Escobar, you think at some point, ‘When will Jason ‘s career slow down?’ But it obviously hasn’t.
“And the other thought process was, hey, there are a lot of people having a lot of success with two tight ends and we thought long and hard about that with Jason, that we really did well with the 12 and 22 personnel. And we still believe [Escobar's] a really great pick for us.”
That’s debatable. He’s made only 16 catches for 219 yards and five touchdowns in his career. There hasn’t been enough production to suggest he’s a rising star. But maybe last Sunday’s performance is indeed a harbinger for things to come. The Cowboys certainly hope so as they try to extract more out of their intriguing tight end.
