Film Breakdown: Can Gavin Escobar step up as Cowboys' second tight end?

During training camp, there was a lot of optimism about Gavin Escobar. The young tight end recovered rapidly from his achilles injury and was already a full participant in practice by the end of July. However even with no James Hanna, Escobar was never able to reclaim the second tight end spot, losing it to Geoff Swaim before the season.

Swaim is now on injured reserve after getting a surgery for a pectoral injury. Former second string tight end, Hanna is still struggling with a bone bruise in his knee and is unlikely to be seen this season. While the Cowboys have called up wide receiver Vince Mayle to fill Swaim’s roster spot, it’s likely Escobar who gets the first crack at the job. He had a few chances against Pittsburgh and did pretty well.

Escobar is next to Jason Witten to the right of the formation. He does an excellent job of engaging the defensive end and turning his hips to prevent penetration. While he isn’t able to move the defender, Escobar prevents him from closing the hole and provides Elliott enough room for the six yard gain.

The Cowboys are in the same formation but this time Terrance Williams doesn’t motion behind the line. Escobar is tasked with the same block but this time it’s against the outside linebacker instead of the end. Though he’s not at the point of attack, he does a good job of preventing any penetration by his assignment.

On this play, Dallas has a tight end on either side of the line. The Cowboys are running an inside zone but penetration by the middle linebacker (No. 55) forces Elliott to look elsewhere. James Harrison (No. 92) slants inside hard hoping to disrupt the play. Escobar does a good job of using his momentum to force Harrison in to the cluster at the left side of the line.

This provides Elliott a hole to the outside. Unfortunately, Lucky Whitehead whiffs on his block which results in the cornerback meeting Zeke as he cuts around Escobar’s block. Had he blocked the corner, this would have been a footrace between Elliott and linebacker Lawrence Timmons (No. 94). That’s a matchup Zeke should easily win.

On the left side of the line, Escobar once again has to block Harrison. While the young tight end gets pushed back initially, he keeps fighting and stays in front of the linebacker. In doing so, he’s able to prevent Harrison from even impacting the play.

This time both tight ends are to the left of Tyron Smith. Escobar has to block the defensive end and struggles mightily. The end’s size and strength are simply too much for him and he gets knocked back. If he was blocking for the point of attack, it’s likely this would be a negative play. This is a very hard block for a tight end but it’s one Escobar has to find a way to make.

Escobar will be tasked with blocking similar assignments against the Baltimore Ravens. Against them, it will be even harder. Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs has been great thus far and the Ravens defense as a whole allows the least amount of rushing yards in the league.

The young tight end showed on some plays that he’s capable of blocking at the point of attack. However, he’s still not a consistent blocker. Escobar still struggles at times with maintaining his leverage and keeping his pad level low. If he wants to stay on the field, he’ll have to prove he can be consistent as a blocker. If Escobar can’t do that, he’ll quickly return to being a forgotten man on the roster.


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