Gavin Escobar Explained

Gavin Escobar
Number:89, 81
Position:Tight end
Birth Date:February 3, 1991
Birth Place:New York City, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Idyllwild, California, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:6
Weight Lbs:254
High School:Santa Margarita Catholic
College:San Diego State (2009–2012)
Draftyear:2013
Draftround:2
Draftpick:47
Pastteams:
Highlights:
  • 2× First-team All-MW (2011, 2012)
  • Second-team All-MW (2010)
Statlabel1:Games played
Statvalue1:64
Statlabel2:Receptions
Statvalue2:30
Statlabel3:Receiving yards
Statvalue3:333
Statlabel4:Receiving touchdowns
Statvalue4:8
Pfr:EscoGa00

Gavin Louis Escobar (February 3, 1991 – September 28, 2022) was an American football tight end who played for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and a season in the Alliance of American Football (AAF). He played for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens from 2013 to 2017, after having played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs.

Early life

Escobar was born in New York City on February 3, 1991, to Erin and Harry Escobar.[1] He had two siblings; his brother Declan Escobar and his sister Morgan Escobar.

After moving to California in the early 2000's, he attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, where he played for the school's football and basketball teams.[2]

In football, he was a Trinity League second-team selection on offense in 2008 after making 37 receptions for 492 yards and six scores. In a game against St. Bonaventure, the eventual state Division III champion, he had seven receptions for 130 yards.

As a junior, he caught 11 passes for 163 yards (14.8 yards per catch). He was regarded as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.[3] Additionally, Escobar was a standout basketball player and key contributor alongside NBA star Klay Thompson, as Santa Margarita reached the California Division III State Championship in 2008.

College career

Escobar accepted a football scholarship from San Diego State University, where he played from 2009 to 2012. He was redshirted after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, which he was able to overcome after having the tumor removed.

As a redshirt freshman in 2010, he started 12 games, recording 29 receptions for 323 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Despite his decreased role the following year as a sophomore (6 starts in 13 games), his production improved and he finished fifth in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) in receptions (51), receiving yards (780), receiving touchdowns (7), and sixth in receiving yards per reception (15.3).[4]

As a junior in 2012, he posted 42 receptions for 543 yards and had the fourth-most touchdowns in the conference (6).[4] He declared for the NFL draft after the season, foregoing his final year of eligibility.

During the 2011 and 2012 seasons, Escobar was a first-team All-MWC selection. For his college career, he registered 122 receptions for 1,646 yards, 17 touchdowns and did not miss a game.[4]

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

2013 season

Escobar was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round (47th overall) of the 2013 NFL draft.[5] After having mixed results from using previous second round draft choices in tight ends Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett, the Cowboys surprised observers by selecting another tight end, when there was a bigger need on the offensive line.[6]

He made his NFL debut with the Cowboys on September 8, 2013, at the age of 22, in a 36–31 win against the New York Giants.[7] During his rookie season, he was expected to be a pass catching option in the two tight end packages, but he was used sparingly, registering 9 receptions for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns.[8] He became the fifth rookie tight end in franchise history to catch multiple touchdowns in a season.

2014 season

Escobar remained in a backup role in his second season in the league, but was passed on the depth chart by James Hanna, who was used to block at the point of attack in the running game. He was mostly used on special teams and as a red zone target, finishing with 105 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns on 9 receptions.[9]

2015 season

Escobar was unable to increase his role in the team's offense and remained as the third-string tight end, despite wide receiver Dez Bryant missing 7 games.[10] The 12 games that quarterback Tony Romo missed also impacted his production, finishing with 8 receptions for 64 yards and one touchdown.

Escobar suffered a season-ending injury when he tore his right Achilles tendon in the last drive of the fourteenth game of the season against the New York Jets.[11] On December 25, he was placed on the injured reserve list, in order to promote defensive tackle Casey Walker to the 53-man roster.[12]

2016 season

Escobar made a surprisingly quick recovery from his Achilles injury, allowing him to have a full participation in training camp,[13] though he was passed on the depth chart by Geoff Swaim, who displayed better blocking ability. After being used primarily as a core special teams player and only participating in 29 offensive plays, Escobar became the backup tight end after Swaim suffered a season-ending injury in the week 10 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.[14] Because he struggled with his blocking, the Cowboys were forced to use offensive lineman Joe Looney as the blocking tight end in short yardage situations.[15] [16] Escobar finished with 4 receptions and one touchdown.

Although Escobar had the size and continued improving his technique, he could never develop into a dependable in-line blocker. As with other Cowboys tight ends during the Jason Witten era, the team's coaches could never find a complementary role for him in the passing game,[17] which limited Escobar to never starting more than 4 games and recording more than 9 receptions in a season.[18] He played in 62 games (7 starts), making 30 receptions for 333 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Kansas City Chiefs

Escobar signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs on March 31, 2017.[19] However, Escobar was released on September 2 after not being able to pass Ross Travis on the depth chart.[20]

Baltimore Ravens

On October 23, 2017, Escobar signed with the Baltimore Ravens, who were looking to improve their depth after tight end Maxx Williams re-injured his ankle.[21] On November 18, he was released to make room for Danny Woodhead.[22] He appeared in 2 games as a backup tight end and he did not register any stats.

Cleveland Browns

Escobar signed a reserve/future contract with the Cleveland Browns on January 15, 2018.[23] He was released by the Browns on April 12, 2018.[24]

Miami Dolphins

Escobar signed with the Miami Dolphins on April 16, 2018.[25] He was released on September 1, 2018, but was re-signed five days later.[26] [27] He was released on September 11, 2018.[28]

San Diego Fleet

After getting released by the Dolphins, Escobar joined the San Diego Fleet of the newly-formed Alliance of American Football.[29] He was placed on injured reserve on April 1, 2019. The league ceased operations in April 2019.[30] Escobar caught 14 passes for 142 yards during the season.[31]

NFL career statistics

YearTeamGamesReceiving
GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2013 DAL16 1 15 9 134 14.9 25 2
2014 DAL16 1 13 9 105 11.7 26 4
2015 DAL14 4 13 8 64 8.0 22 1
2016 DAL16 1 7 4 30 7.5 14 1
Career 62 7 48 30 333 11.1 26 8

Personal life

Escobar was married and had two children. After retiring from football, he worked as a firefighter for the Long Beach Fire Department in California, starting in February 2022.[32] [33]

Escobar died at around noon on September 28, 2022, while rock climbing near Tahquitz Rock in the San Bernardino National Forest. He was 31 years old.[32] [33] [34] He was climbing with a friend who also died during the climb.[35]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gavin Escobar Stats . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190220122628/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EscoGa00.htm . February 20, 2019 . September 29, 2022 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Sports Reference LLC.
  2. Web site: Gavin Escobar – San Diego State . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220122014816/http://eaglesfootball.com/alumni/gavin-escobar/ . January 22, 2022 . September 29, 2022 . Santa Margarita Catholic High School.
  3. Web site: Gavin Escobar Rivals Rating . https://web.archive.org/web/20140421032828/https://sports.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Gavin-Escobar-86177 . April 21, 2014 . October 1, 2022 . Rivals.com via Yahoo! Sports . web.archive.org.
  4. Web site: Gavin Escobar College Stats . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190220063317/https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/gavin-escobar-1.html . February 20, 2019 . September 29, 2022 . Sports-Reference.com.
  5. Web site: 2013 NFL Draft Listing . May 14, 2023 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  6. Web site: Will this second-round TE do what others couldn't? . ESPN.com . April 26, 2013 . October 19, 2022.
  7. Web site: Gavin Escobar 2013 Game Log . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190528223632/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EscoGa00/gamelog/2013/ . May 28, 2019 . September 29, 2022 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Sports Reference LLC.
  8. Web site: NFL Player Profile . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140515175912/http://www.nfl.com/player/gavinescobar/2540211/profile . May 15, 2014 . June 27, 2014 . NFL.com.
  9. Web site: January 30, 2015 . Cowboys position review: Tight ends . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170402082304/http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4740177/cowboys-position-review-tight-ends . April 2, 2017 . April 1, 2017 . ESPN.com.
  10. News: September 28, 2016 . NFL Notes: Texans place J.J. Watt on IR; Dez Bryant misses practice . NBC Sports . September 29, 2022.
  11. Web site: December 23, 2016 . Three years in, Cowboys still haven't found a fit for Gavin Escobar . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170402082024/http://www.espn.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/71457/three-years-in-cowboys-still-havent-found-a-fit-for-gavin-escobar . April 2, 2017 . April 1, 2016 . ESPN.com.
  12. Web site: December 25, 2015 . Cowboys Give Christmas Present To Jameill Showers And Casey Walker . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20151226203941/http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2015/12/25/10666070/dallas-cowboys-give-christmas-present-jameill-showers-casey-walker-tony-romo-gavin-escobar . December 26, 2015 . December 26, 2015 . Blogging The Boys.
  13. Web site: August 7, 2016 . Cowboys' Gavin Escobar lets loose in return from torn Achilles . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170402082224/http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4752580/in-return-from-achilles-tear-gavin-escobar-letting-go . April 2, 2017 . April 1, 2017 . ESPN.com.
  14. Web site: November 18, 2017 . Gavin Escobar gets final chance to show Cowboys what he can do . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161119105352/http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/221675/gavin-escobar-gets-final-chance-to-show-cowboys-what-he-can-do . November 19, 2016 . April 1, 2016 . ESPN.com.
  15. News: Brock . Todd . August 4, 2021 . Ex-Cowboys OL Joe Looney retires after 5 days with Giants . . live . September 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210918015553/https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/2021/08/04/ex-cowboys-ol-joe-looney-retires-after-5-days-with-giants/ . September 18, 2021.
  16. News: George . Brandon . August 23, 2018 . 'He's the right man for the job': Suddenly a starter, Cowboys' Joe Looney is ready to fill in for Travis Frederick . . live . September 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221001211319/https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2018/08/24/he-s-the-right-man-for-the-job-suddenly-a-starter-cowboys-joe-looney-is-ready-to-fill-in-for-travis-frederick/ . October 1, 2022.
  17. News: Moore . David . April 5, 2017 . Two factors that led to Gavin Escobar's disappointing stay with the Cowboys . . September 29, 2022.
  18. Web site: August 18, 2016 . Cowboys have a stake in growing Gavin Escobar's role . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170402081614/http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/174889/cowboys-have-a-stake-in-growing-gavin-escobars-role . April 2, 2017 . April 1, 2017 . ESPN.com.
  19. Web site: Gehlken, Michael . March 31, 2017 . Chiefs set to sign TE Gavin Escobar . ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  20. Web site: September 2, 2017 . Chiefs Roster Down to NFL Mandated 53 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180603165651/http://www.chiefs.com/news/article-2/Chiefs-Roster-Down-to-NFL-Mandated-53/29056cc8-800b-4a3f-be18-d873f2470e6b . June 3, 2018 . Chiefs.com.
  21. Web site: Mink, Ryan . October 23, 2017 . Ravens Sign Former Second-Round Tight End . https://web.archive.org/web/20180223215455/http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Ravens-Sign-Former-Second-Round-Tight-End/9b82b28b-7874-4621-b047-f8457f14e05b . February 23, 2018 . BaltimoreRavens.com.
  22. Web site: Mink, Ryan . November 18, 2017 . Ravens Activate Danny Woodhead to 53-Man Roster . https://web.archive.org/web/20180427045308/http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Ravens-Activate-Danny-Woodhead-to-53-Man-Roster/0d91b74c-8c4a-49ef-98d5-324c507091ce . April 27, 2018 . BaltimoreRavens.com.
  23. Web site: January 15, 2018 . Browns sign TE Gavin Escobar . https://web.archive.org/web/20180425071823/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Browns-sign-TE-Gavin-Escobar/a19201e9-cda0-4ce0-8161-af45eb0ddc2d . April 25, 2018 . ClevelandBrowns.com.
  24. Web site: April 12, 2018 . Browns release 7 players . https://web.archive.org/web/20180616103806/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Browns-release-7-players/66bb8ce1-785f-4839-8fd5-b35fc0c21fd4 . June 16, 2018 . ClevelandBrowns.com.
  25. Web site: April 16, 2018 . Miami Dolphins Sign Escobar . https://web.archive.org/web/20180420070154/http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/press-releases/article-1/Miami-Dolphins-Sign-Escobar/ff29e901-a682-46a9-a1f5-2ca043289489 . April 20, 2018 . MiamiDolphins.com.
  26. Web site: September 1, 2018 . Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180903050032/https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/miami-dolphins-make-roster-moves-1 . September 3, 2018 . September 2, 2018 . MiamiDolphins.com.
  27. Web site: September 6, 2018 . Dolphins Sign Escobar, Place Gray On IR . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180906234759/https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/dolphins-sign-escobar-place-gray-on-ir . September 6, 2018 . September 6, 2018 . MiamiDolphins.com.
  28. Web site: Williams, Charean . September 11, 2018 . Dolphins release Gavin Escobar . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180912092017/https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/09/11/dolphins-release-gavin-escobar/ . September 12, 2018 . September 12, 2018 . Pro Football Talk . NBC Sports.
  29. Web site: Shannon . Chase . January 27, 2019 . Former Cowboy Escobar ready for new challenge in AAF . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190202095118/https://news4sanantonio.com/sports/former-cowboy-escobar-ready-for-new-challenge-in-aaf . February 2, 2019 . February 1, 2019 . WOAI-TV.
  30. Web site: Rothstein . Michael . Wickersham . Seth . June 13, 2019 . Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football . January 9, 2024 . ESPN.com.
  31. Web site: Gavin Escobar AAF Statistics . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191026130448/https://noextrapoints.com/players/gavin-escobar/ . October 26, 2019 . October 26, 2019 . noextrapoints.com.
  32. News: Avitabile . Rafael . September 29, 2022 . Long Beach Firefighter – A Former SDSU and Dallas Cowboys Tight End – Killed in Rock Climbing Accident . . live . September 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221001211320/https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/long-beach-firefighter-a-former-san-diego-state-and-dallas-cowboys-tight-end-killed-in-rock-climbing-accident/3059822/ . October 1, 2022.
  33. News: September 29, 2022 . Former Dallas Cowboy Gavin Escobar dies in apparent climbing accident at 31 . . Associated Press . London . live . September 30, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221001211320/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/sep/29/gavin-escobar-dallas-cowboys-killed-climbing-accident-nfl-california . October 1, 2022.
  34. Web site: Perez, Eliana . September 29, 2022 . One of two climbers found dead near Idyllwild was former Dallas Cowboys player Gavin Escobar . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221001211320/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2022/09/29/gavin-escobar-found-dead-near-idyllwild/8131131001/ . October 1, 2022 . September 30, 2022 . usatoday.com.
  35. News: Ritchie . Erika . September 30, 2022 . Huntington Beach climbers who died at Tahquitz Peak brought out the best in people . San Bernardino Sun . October 1, 2022.

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