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Dallas Cowboys Tight End Battle: Swaim, Jarwin, Schultz, and Rico (1 Viewer)

Who Will Be The Opening Day Starting TE For The Cowboys In 2018?

  • Total voters
    75
I would love to see Gathers terrorizing defenses, but Swaim and Jarwin are more complete TEs, and that will be the difference.  Gathers is a physical freak and potential matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, but until he gains a better understanding of the blocking schemes and other nuances of the TE position, he will prove to be a liability in Dallas' run-first offense as anything more than an occasional receiver.  Schultz brings a Stanford pedigree and excellent blocking skills, but he will likely take time to develop.  My money is on Swaim opening the season as starter.  I am pulling for Rico to take a big step forward and force the Cowboys into playing him.  

 
socrates said:
I would love to see Gathers terrorizing defenses, but Swaim and Jarwin are more complete TEs, and that will be the difference.  Gathers is a physical freak and potential matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, but until he gains a better understanding of the blocking schemes and other nuances of the TE position, he will prove to be a liability in Dallas' run-first offense as anything more than an occasional receiver.  Schultz brings a Stanford pedigree and excellent blocking skills, but he will likely take time to develop.  My money is on Swaim opening the season as starter.  I am pulling for Rico to take a big step forward and force the Cowboys into playing him.  
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I think you're right. But it's also plausible that Rico is the second best receiver on the team. Perhaps they'll run more 2 TE sets? 

 
the lone star said:
Who Will Be The Opening Day Starting TE For The Cowboys In 2018?
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Good thread, but don’t get too cocky:)

I’ve been adding swaim everywhere I can. I have Rico as a hold in a league, but I’ll simply defer to wittens analysis here- they like swain. I can buy that, the fans/media/ffl community love Rico, so he gets the publicity. He may not even want to play (I mean dedicate himself 110% as he needs to coming from another sport and off an injury) as he is trying to get his music career off the ground. Sure, he flashed in preseason. Joe fauria caught like 8 tds as a rookie for the lions and disappeared. Certainly have been more stories like him that fade fast rather than become viable starters. 

Its not that I love swaim or think the te in that scheme will be a beast, but if I can add an unknown who I expect to start for really cheap and I have roster space I’m all for it. I won’t be surprised if Shultz pulls ahead of swaim in the poll. 

 
Not Rico from what I’ve heard. Sounds like Dallas has been using him more on the OL than TE.

 
JohnnyU said:
Why would an athlete like Gathers who can stretch the filed and create mismatches with linebackers be used as an OL?
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Exactly. Marcus Mosher (he’s pretty locked in on the Cowboys) said this. He said the coaching staff does not like Gathers at all.

 
Ilov80s said:
Exactly. Marcus Mosher (he’s pretty locked in on the Cowboys) said this. He said the coaching staff does not like Gathers at all.
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I wonder why?  That sounds fishy and ridiculous.  Perhaps enough bad press will give fantasy owners (not me) second thoughts and they will start to drop him in leagues.  Good strategy for non-Gathers owners.

 
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JohnnyU said:
I wonder why?  That sounds fishy and ridiculous.  Perhaps enough bad press will give fantasy owners (not me) second thoughts and they will start to drop him in leagues.  Good strategy for non-Gathers owners.
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Not sure really. I mean he’s new to football so maybe he’s just too far behind for the staff. 

 
I have Rico so I'm rooting for him and the coachspeak could be just that, but haven't they kind of put their money where their mouth is on this one?  He was reportedly fully healthy by week 8 last year and they left him on IR.  They didn't even bring him out to practice even though they admitted he was healthy enough to practice.

 
FreeBaGeL said:
I have Rico so I'm rooting for him and the coachspeak could be just that, but haven't they kind of put their money where their mouth is on this one?  He was reportedly fully healthy by week 8 last year and they left him on IR.  They didn't even bring him out to practice even though they admitted he was healthy enough to practice.
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And now they say he needs more practice.

Pile of dolts.

 
JohnnyU said:
Why would an athlete like Gathers who can stretch the filed and create mismatches with linebackers be used as an OL?
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I don’t think they’re using him as an OL.  I’m guessing they mean that he’s being used as an in-line TE.  Some coaches still value TEs as blockers as well as receivers instead of solely supersized WRs.   TEs who can’t or won’t block have little value to the team as an in-line TE.

 
Ilov80s said:
Exactly. Marcus Mosher (he’s pretty locked in on the Cowboys) said this. He said the coaching staff does not like Gathers at all.
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I do find this to be credible.  (Disclaimer: I haven't heard any podcast on this.)  I will admit that I have a vesting interest in Gathers.  But it has been increasingly clear to me that Cowboys coaching staff isn't 100% committed in developing Gathers as their TE.   This article has sort of validate my belief. Great coaches will alway find a way to maximize talent players (big shout to former Cowboys OC Sean Payton on developing Jimmy Graham as Saints TE). 

 
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Seriously, Geathers is, and always has been a.long shot prospect, plenty of insane athletes with tons of actual football experience have failed at this level. Looking for the next Antonio Gates is fun and all but how.many of those guys have there ever been? I'm not talking about UDFAs who make good, I mean guys with almost zero football experience (high school.or below does not count) who become productive contributors. By my recollection that happens almost...never.

 
Why does everyone think he's such a physical freak?  Even in the context of NFL TEs he's pretty big, but none of his other Pro Day #s jump off the page.  4.79/2.79/1.71 puts him a bit slower than the average of the top 20 TEs prospects each year for example.  Not saying he won't pan out just wondering where the hype is coming from.

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
Why does everyone think he's such a physical freak?  Even in the context of NFL TEs he's pretty big, but none of his other Pro Day #s jump off the page.  4.79/2.79/1.71 puts him a bit slower than the average of the top 20 TEs prospects each year for example.  Not saying he won't pan out just wondering where the hype is coming from.
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There is someone that even posted that some of this negative coach speak is for fantasy owners to drop him.  I think the hype is out of control and the negative talk may be more ignored then normal with him.  I am not saying that this time of the year is to take what they say as truth, but it seems outlandish to think it is for fantasy reasons.

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
Why does everyone think he's such a physical freak?  Even in the context of NFL TEs he's pretty big, but none of his other Pro Day #s jump off the page.  4.79/2.79/1.71 puts him a bit slower than the average of the top 20 TEs prospects each year for example.  Not saying he won't pan out just wondering where the hype is coming from.
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Gathers is 6'6" 285. He's a world class freak for his size, but what really separates him is his fluidity. Track metrics can be very deceiving. Gathers looks like a gigantic WR when he moves. Before getting hurt last summer, Gathers terrorized the D in practices or more importantly, looked dominant in 2 preseason games.

With tremendous natural hands, he's got it all from a raw physical standpoint. The obvious question is can Gathers improve on what he's shown already & keep developing.

 
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Football Jones said:
Gathers is 6'6" 285. He's a world class freak for his size, but what really separates him is his fluidity. Track metrics can be very deceiving. Gathers looks like a gigantic WR when he moves. Before getting hurt last summer, Gathers terrorized the D in practices or more importantly, looked dominant in 2 preseason games.

With tremendous natural hands, he's got it all from a raw physical standpoint. The obvious question is can Gathers improve on what he's shown already & keep developing.
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So you're saying he's more of a 10w-30 than a 20w-50.

 
Football Jones said:
Gathers is 6'6" 285. He's a world class freak for his size, but what really separates him is his fluidity. Track metrics can be very deceiving. Gathers looks like a gigantic WR when he moves. Before getting hurt last summer, Gathers terrorized the D in practices or more importantly, looked dominant in 2 preseason games.

With tremendous natural hands, he's got it all from a raw physical standpoint. The obvious question is can Gathers improve on what he's shown already & keep developing.
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There’s still the question of being a football player.  You have to have a taste for the inherent violence of the game.  It’s not for the meek of heart.  That there are questions about his blocking could also be indicative of how willing he is to engage in that kind of violence.  Then there are the technical points of playing football.  

He just might be the great athlete you say he is, with the great hands that you say he has.  That doesn’t mean he can play football at the NFL level.

 
Gathers was once listed as 6'8, which may have been why people thought he was such a physical freak. Well, he is big, strong, and athletic regardless.

 
Bronco Billy said:
There’s still the question of being a football player.  You have to have a taste for the inherent violence of the game.  It’s not for the meek of heart.  That there are questions about his blocking could also be indicative of how willing he is to engage in that kind of violence.  Then there are the technical points of playing football.  

He just might be the great athlete you say he is, with the great hands that you say he has.  That doesn’t mean he can play football at the NFL level.
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I'm not disputing that. Like I said, the key is if he can keep developing. My main point is this isn't some fresh off the street basketball player who has shown nothing. Gathers had started to cash in on his potential before getting hurt.

Discounting Gathers' potential & what he's shown so far is similar to ignoring a diamond because it's not polished. We don't know if Gathers is actually a diamond yet, but as far as FF stashes go, it doesn't get much better.

The time has likely already passed to acquire him for a reasonable price as far as trades. Due to his upside, anybody who owns Gathers is keeping him as opposed to accepting a relatively minor payout.

 
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the lone star said:
Gathers was once listed as 6'8, which may have been why people thought he was such a physical freak. Well, he is big, strong, and athletic regardless.
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I'm not sure, but that might've come from his basketball listing where height is often inflated.

Weight is key here & his athletic prowess for a 285-pound human being is astounding.

 
Football Jones said:
Anybody who discounts Gathers' potential & what he's shown so far is similar to ignoring a diamond because it's not polished. We don't know if Gathers is actually a diamond yet, but as far as FF stashes go, it doesn't get much better.
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It doesn’t get better?  A guy who didn’t play high school or college football trying to make the NFL?  I’d prefer to stash football players.  Hell, that Australian Rules Football stud had a better chance than Gathers.  A least those guys understand how physical the game is and have proven they can withstand the punishment.  All the coaching in the world can’t install tolerance for that.

 
Bronco Billy said:
It doesn’t get better?  A guy who didn’t play high school or college football trying to make the NFL?  I’d prefer to stash football players.  Hell, that Australian Rules Football stud had a better chance than Gathers.  A least those guys understand how physical the game is and have proven they can withstand the punishment.  All the coaching in the world can’t install tolerance for that.
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Everyone gets an opinion.

You stash the Aussie & I'll stash Gathers.

That's FF.

 
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Bronco Billy said:
I’d be curious what your opinion would be if Gathers were, say - an Eagle maybe?  Somehow I get the feeling you might not be quite so high on him.

BTW - I never thought of rostering the Aussie guy, since you’re interested.
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Whoever you stash then. Just sayin'.

LMFAO at if Gathers was an Eagle.

I own Wentz in almost all of my dynasty leagues & took him before his ADP in each one.

 
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I own Gathers in all of my dynasty leagues, but I'm not pounding the table for him. He's essentially just a stash (albeit a great one, IMO).

The key with Gathers is price relative to upside.

I acquired Gathers for free (FA) in all leagues.

 
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Chaka said:
Seriously, Geathers is, and always has been a.long shot prospect, plenty of insane athletes with tons of actual football experience have failed at this level. Looking for the next Antonio Gates is fun and all but how.many of those guys have there ever been? I'm not talking about UDFAs who make good, I mean guys with almost zero football experience (high school.or below does not count) who become productive contributors. By my recollection that happens almost...never.
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Two things - good post @the lone star  This is a good and useful topic.

Second, @Chaka the fall in love with the incredible athlete is probably the biggest bias I have to fight against. I thought Vernon Davis would be a first ballot hall of famer after his combine stuff. Most simply just don't pan out at all. The idea it takes so much more than physical talent at this level is still one of the most difficult things for people (including me) to factor. We're leaning toward Geathers right now getting the most work (even though it's not much) but he has a long ways to go. And it's also super early for this kind of thing. But I know that's what we do in early June. The TE situation post Witten will be one of the most closely watched things in camp this year. 

 
Tight end Rico Gathers has not yet lived up to the potential the Dallas Cowboys perceived when they drafted the athlete two years ago.

The Cowboys spent a 2016 sixth-round pick on the Baylor Bears men's basketball team's all-time leading rebounder. After experimenting with him at defensive end for a few OTAs, the coaches felt his boxing out skills would best be suited at tight end. However, entering his third season and yet to even make the game day roster, the talk about Gathers has gone from optimistic to realistic.

"He just needs to get better," head coach Jason Garrett said Tuesday. "We're really not talking about him as making the 53-man roster right now, like we’re not talking about anybody in that regard. We're talking about coming in here and getting better every day."

The challenge for Gathers, who had previously not played football since he was 13 years old, isn't so much the pass-catching aspect of playing tight end. In fact, Gathers caught seven passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns in two preseason games last year before sustaining a concussion that kept him on injured reserve for the entire season. However, the blocking part of playing tight end is where Gathers could need improvement.

Said Garrett: "The demands of him at the position are pretty unique. You have to be able to be a run player. You have to be someone who understands protections and routes and adjustments and all of that. You certainly do your best as coaches to put him situations where he can grow in each of those areas as you defense what his role might be to help you and so he was showing some elements of being able to help us until he had the injury."

Even though he could have been eligible to return after eight weeks of being on IR, the coaches kept him there because, according to Garrett, they didn't think the young tight end could help them later on as the season progressed.

"He was in concussion protocol for a long time and at the point that he was able to come back we were too far along during our season for him to make a significant contribution," said Garrett. "You want your players to continue to develop. We tried to do that last year. But that is really the reason why we made that decision, where he was and where we were."

The Cowboys took a tight end in the fourth round of this year's draft in Dalton Schultz from Stanford. Along with dark horse Blake Jarwin on the roster, Gather's shot to make the 53-man roster may be nonexistent if he can't figure out the other aspects of playing tight end that made Jason Witten a legend.

"He just needs to play more football," Garrett said. "We could practice five times a day, that wouldn't be enough for him or a lot of our younger just because they need so much work. So you've got to take advantage of every rep you get."
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports/rico-gathers-not-yet-the-tight-end-the-cowboys-hoped-for/560654708

 
Joe Bryant said:
Two things - good post @the lone star  This is a good and useful topic.

Second, @Chaka the fall in love with the incredible athlete is probably the biggest bias I have to fight against. I thought Vernon Davis would be a first ballot hall of famer after his combine stuff. Most simply just don't pan out at all. The idea it takes so much more than physical talent at this level is still one of the most difficult things for people (including me) to factor. We're leaning toward Geathers right now getting the most work (even though it's not much) but he has a long ways to go. And it's also super early for this kind of thing. But I know that's what we do in early June. The TE situation post Witten will be one of the most closely watched things in camp this year. 
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Thanks bruh, I appreciate it. I hope my other topics didn't come off as useless though. Aside from the trolling, I did like some of the discussion in those threads. Just seems like more people here like to talk players right now. Summer is usually my rules review period, and then I catch up on player news and other developments late in the summer, and during the preseason.

 
Virtually impossible to say who will be the opening day starter right now. Swaim might be the favorite, but he's not a longterm guy.

The real question is do they have a longterm guy on their roster right now? If they do, it's either Rico &/or Schultz.

 
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Dr. Dan said:
I'd love for it to be Gathers. My orphan dynasty team had him stashed. I want to cut him to make room but just can't without knowing if he's going to be the guy or not.

I won't pretend to know exactly what's going on in Dallas with the TE position, but since I have some penny stock in it I thought I'd start ot care. 

That being said, I really don't think Gathers will be the guy. I don't think he will be a Cowboy in 2 months. Or even in the NFL possibly. I have to agree with Chaka on this one. How many times have we seen these athletes try to make it and actually succeed? Gathers is another example of a guy who is physically gifted but when it comes to playing football and hitting people (blocking) he struggles. 
 

I voted Jarwin. He's been getting some good feedback and appears to be a complete TE. Regardless, I don't think the Dallas offense moves as much through the TE this year. So I think we are making a big deal about nothing. 
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Agree with the bolded.

As far as FF goes, I don't think  it matters who's at TE in Dallas

 
The TE will matter if it's Rico. Schultz has the upside to eventually be a decent FF TE (if he wins the job), but Rico has the raw ability to be a stud.

The sky is the limit with Rico, but they're going to have to use him differently than Witten. If any offense can afford to have a full-time Joker, it's the Cowboys. The OL should be dominant & doesn't need much help. Ds will need to scheme the run due to their strengths so a Joker with Rico's traits has huge possibilities.

We'll have a much better idea how close Rico is & whether he's on a developing path after this season.

 
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Football Jones said:
The TE will matter if it's Rico. Schultz has the upside to eventually be a decent FF TE (if he wins the job), but Rico has the raw ability to be a stud.

The sky is the limit with Rico, but they're going to have to use him differently than Witten. If any offense can afford to have a full-time Joker, it's the Cowboys. The OL should be dominant & doesn't need much help. Ds will need to scheme the run due to their strengths so a Joker with Rico's traits has huge possibilities.

We'll have a much better idea how close Rico is & whether he's on a developing path after this season.
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you really gotta give it up on your Rico homerism.  At this point it seems like you're trying to convince yourself more than anyone else.

 
Dr. Dan said:
I'd love for it to be Gathers. My orphan dynasty team had him stashed. I want to cut him to make room but just can't without knowing if he's going to be the guy or not.

I won't pretend to know exactly what's going on in Dallas with the TE position, but since I have some penny stock in it I thought I'd start ot care. 

That being said, I really don't think Gathers will be the guy. I don't think he will be a Cowboy in 2 months. Or even in the NFL possibly. I have to agree with Chaka on this one. How many times have we seen these athletes try to make it and actually succeed? Gathers is another example of a guy who is physically gifted but when it comes to playing football and hitting people (blocking) he struggles. 
 

I voted Jarwin. He's been getting some good feedback and appears to be a complete TE. Regardless, I don't think the Dallas offense moves as much through the TE this year. So I think we are making a big deal about nothing. 
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Agree here.  He hasn't shown much of being able to make that transition.  I think he'll be on a practice squad.

 
Dallas will probably draft a TE early next year and it doesn't really matter who the TE is this year.

 
Deamon said:
you really gotta give it up on your Rico homerism.  At this point it seems like you're trying to convince yourself more than anyone else.
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I agree with everything he said in that post. Saying that I don't if Rico is as good of a pass catcher as I think he is but for sure I see raw ability.

Deamon said:
Agree here.  He hasn't shown much of being able to make that transition.  I think he'll be on a practice squad.
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What was he supposed to show you? Did you expect him to show you something as a rookie TE making a transition while on the practice squad? Was he supposed to show you something on IR last year?

 
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