Gavin Escobar

Early years

Escobar attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. He was a 2008 Trinity League second-team selection on offense after grabbing 37 receptions for 492 yards and six scores.

He had seven receptions for 130 yards against St. Bonaventure, the eventual state Division III champion, in which he was named the player of the game for his performance. As a junior, he caught 11 passes for 163 yards (14.8 yards per catch). Considered a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. He also practiced basketball.

College career

Escobar accepted a football scholarship from San Diego State University, where he played for the Aztecs from 2009 to 2012. He was redshirted as a true freshman after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, which he was able to overcome after having the tumor removed. In 2010, he started 12 games, posting 29 receptions for 323 yards and 4 touchdowns. The next year although his role decreased with 6 starts in 13 games, his production improved with 51 receptions for 780 yards and 7 touchdowns. As a junior, he registered 42 receptions for 543 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Following his 2011 and 2012 seasons, he was a first-team All-Mountain West Conference (MWC) selection. For his college career, he tallied 122 receptions for 1,646 yards, 17 touchdowns and never missed a game. He announced that he would enter the NFL Draft after his junior season.

Dallas Cowboys

Escobar was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round (47th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. 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 in the offensive line.

2013

In 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.

2014

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.

2015

Even though wide receiver Dez Bryant missed 7 games, Escobar still wasn't able to increase his role in the team's offense and remained as the third-string tight end. The 12 games that quarterback Tony Romo missed, also impacted his production, finishing with 8 receptions for 64 yards and one touchdown.

He 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. On December 25, he was placed on the injured reserve list, in order to promote defensive tackle Casey Walker to the 53-man roster.

2016

Escobar made a surprising quick recovery from his Achilles injury, allowing him to have a full participation in training camp, 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. 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. He finished with 4 receptions and one touchdown.

Although he 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, which limited Escobar to never starting more than 4 games and recording more than 9 receptions in a season. He played in 62 games (7 starts), making 30 receptions for 333 yards and 8 touchdowns.

2017

On March 31, Escobar signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs, to provide depth in a position that had some uncertainty, with starter Travis Kelce rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery and backup Demetrius Harris having been arrested in March for felony possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. On September 2, 2017, Escobar was released by the Chiefs.