The Cowboys have an almost surefire lock to be a Hall of Famer in Jason Witten. That in and of itself cements the tight end position as one which isn’t a top priority for Dallas in the 2017 draft. One can safely assume once Witten retires, and he just signed a four-year extension, the Cowboys offense will likely not rely on the position as much as they do currently. In his 14th season, Witten was targeted over 90 times for the 11th straight year in 2016. There’s no need to draft a TE high because he simply is not going to get much burn in the Cowboys offense.

Rico Gathers wants to convince the Cowboys coaching staff whatever snaps are available behind Witten are already claimed and in capable hands.

The second-year conversion from basketball player is doing everything possible to make his case, starting with the offseason workouts Dallas is currently holding.

On Monday, Gathers released a short Instagram video, showing a mashup of several drills he’s doing without coaching — no coaches are allowed to work with players during these workouts. In it, fans can see him work on his footwork, over the shoulder catches and getting in and out of breaks.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTS5OpwBP2U/

His caption, “All the extra dedication gon pay off. Sharpening that knife everyday” exemplifies his dedication to proving he can take the role.

Gathers will compete with Geoff Swaim, James Hanna and whomever else the Cowboys bring in over the next several weeks to earn so of the snaps Witten leaves behind.