Dallas Cowboys insist TE Gavin Escobar is developing

The Dallas Cowboys drafted tight end Gavin Escobar in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. They have high hopes for Escobar, but he has had a relatively quiet offseason. Despite that, the Cowboys insist he is adjusting to the play at the league and developing.

“He’s developing. He really is,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said, via the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. “He’s a natural pass catcher. He can run routes and get away from people. He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities in games to do that up to this point. The thing where he’s getting better and better is blocking, both as a run blocker and as a pass protector. That’s not his strength coming into this thing, but he has the traits physically to be able to do that. He’s got to get stronger. He knows that; we know that. He just has to keep working at it. But one of the things I have been impressed with has been his nastiness and his toughness. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in there in any facet of the game, and that’s a good sign.”

Gavin Escobar was brought in primarily for his receiver qualities. In two preseason games so far he has only caught one pass for 3 yards. Hardly the kind of production Cowboys fans were hoping for.

“I come out here and work and just try and get better,” Escobar said. “The catches, those kind of take care of themselves. I can’t be thinking about that when I’m out here playing.”

The biggest area that Escobar needs to improve is his blocking, a task he wasn’t asked to do a lot at San Diego State.

“It definitely has improved since OTAs, training camp and from training camp to now,” Escobar said. “I work on it every day and try and take pride in it. It’s definitely gotten better. But you’ve always got to improve.”

“It’s really all technique. You can move a guy who’s bigger than you or hold him up at least with the right technique. So that’s what it’s all about, getting the right technique, footwork all the time and being consistent with that.”