Broaddus on Rico Gathers

[Verdict]

Why? The only reason would be that another team wanted to sign him to their 53 man roster. So you'd be looking at a team that wanted to collect prospects for next year. That would have to be a team who missed the playoffs.

Why on earth would a PS player on a playoff team go elsewhere? More games. More pay.

Maybe I'm wrong about this but I think if a team wants to poach a player off of your practice squad they MUST sign him to their active roster.

 

[xwalker]

Or move to OT when he's 300 pounds plus next year. Listed at 290 now.

290 is really big for a TE.

 

[jrumann59]

290 is really big for a TE.

so is 6'8"

 

[AbeBeta]

Maybe I'm wrong about this but I think if a team wants to poach a player off of your practice squad they MUST sign him to their active roster.

They do. But if you can keep a guy at the same salary for a few extra games there is no reason for him to leave.

 

[xwalker]

so is 6'8"

He measured in at 6'6-1/4" preb-draft.

The 6-8 number was from Baylor's Basketball roster listing.

 

[The Realist]

Is there more value for us and earnings potential for the player having Rico as a #2-3 TE doing nothing but block his whole career here ala Hanna, Swaim, Escobar (poorly). Or could we groom him into a RT ala Jeremy Parnell? And if we can't develop 3 2nd round TE's what makes us think we can develop a 6th round TE that probably would have gone undrafted that hasn't played football since middle school?

 

[Sepia]

 

[waving monkey]

So if we win against the Lions and can we rest/sit out Witten and let the kid play?

we'd have to move him to th roster

 

[shabazz]

All these scrub practice squad guys are making 117 Million dollars per season? How much cap room do we get by cutting all of them?

I kid, I kid...

I would cut just cut the players on defense. Not a chance any other team will claim them

 

[shabazz]

The next Antonio Gates.... I hope

.......but more likely the next David Lafleur

 

[CWR]

290 is really big for a TE.

Talk about basketball player turned TE 2.0!

 

[CWR]

On a side note the guy that relieves me in the mornings at work is Fontenot one of our TEs from back in the Lafleur days lol. Super nice guy, super humble. Rarely talks about the nfl but once in awhile will do so. The guy at my last station played for the Commanders back in the 90s, was a db, Denton. Also very humble, but he is a Cowboys hater and we do have exchanges lol.

 

[TheHerd]

On a side note the guy that relieves me in the mornings..

Whew, after those first few words I thought this comment was gonna go sideways fast!

Cool story though, it's weird to remember a lot of these guys, probably most, that we see on Sunday don't make enough to last a lifetime so they're in the rockpile like the rest of us.

 

[NEODOG]

He's been playing OT on the PS to help learn blocking......

 

[tyke1doe]

Sources why didn't he played pro basketball?

 

[Doomsday101]

290 is really big for a TE.

He seems to have decent speed to go with that size.

 

[xwalker]

He seems to have decent speed to go with that size.

Yes, that move that he did in preseason was impressive in general, but considering that he is that big it makes it that much more impressive.

 

[Doomsday101]

Yes, that move that he did in preseason was impressive in general, but considering that he is that big it makes it that much more impressive.

I agree. I'm very hopeful for this kid. He has the tools you can't teach the things he needs to know they can teach. It may take some time but if he is willing to put in the work I think he could develop into a quality player.

 

[Plankton]

Sources why didn't he played pro basketball?

There aren't too many 6'6" power forwards in the NBA, Charles Barkley notwithstanding. Gathers was a banger, but had no offensive game more than 10-12 feet from the basket.

 

[xwalker]

Sources why didn't he played pro basketball?

Because NBA players are super-freak athletes. Also, they show him at 6-8 but pre-draft measurements show him at 6'6-1/4". That's the size of Guards in the NBA and at 275+ he is not going to be an NBA Guard.

They show his wingspan at 83.625" but that's below average for an NBA big man. I posted a comparison of David Irving's wingspan to some past NBA players the other day. Irving (87-5/8") has 4"" on Gathers.