LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 12: Rico Gathers #80 of the Dallas Cowboys catches a pass as Folarin Orimolade #56 of the Los Angeles Rams defends during the second half of a presason game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett made it sound like third-year tight end Rico Gathers is nowhere near being ready to play in an NFL game

The Dallas Cowboys were dealt some shocking news during the 2018 NFL Draft when it was reported that tight end Jason Witten was hanging up his cleats and taking a job as an analyst on ESPN.

For those who wanted to see the athletic Rico Gathers get his shot though, this news did have a silver lining. There’s been a lot of intrigue around the former Baylor basketball player who Dallas took in the sixth-round of the 2016 draft.

That intrigue is understandable as Gathers is listed at 6-8 and 285 pounds, which makes him a huge target. He’s also incredibly raw as he hadn’t played football since middle school.

Still, the idea of a huge, athletic target who could box out defenders and win contested passes like they were rebounding it off a backboard excited many Dallas fans. Then the way Gathers played in the 2017 preseason got the hype train going even faster.

Sadly, some cold water was thrown on that jubilation when Gathers was placed on the IR when he had lingering concussion issues.

But maybe things could change in 2018? With Witten gone, the position was now up for grabs like a missed shot that Gathers used to so easily haul in for his team. Maybe this was his chance to corral it. The hope was starting to ignite again.

Or maybe not. Head coach Jason Garrett has come out and thrown a huge bucket of ice water on the spark for Gathers, saying he’s nowhere near ready to play.

“He just needs to play more football,” Garrett said via Jori Epstein of Sports Day Dallas. “We could practice five times a day and that wouldn’t be enough for him and a lot of our younger players, just because they need so much work.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement from the head coach. It also goes along with what those who follow the team have said about Gathers.

He’s an exciting prospect with some potential, but that may be the most we ever see out of him in Dallas — potential.