IRVING, Texas – There's an unfortunate reason rookie tight end Geoff Swaim is moving up the depth chart this week.
Gavin Escobar tore his Achilles tendon on the final drive of last Saturday's 19-16 loss to the Jets and is expected to be placed on injured reserve. He tweeted Tuesday that surgery to repair the injury went well.
"You never want to see any of your teammates get hurt, ever," Swaim said.
Still, his job is to maximize the playing time he'll get in the season's remaining two games.
Swaim, a seventh-round pick in last April's draft, has been inactive the last nine games behind veteran tight ends Jason Witten, James Hanna and Escobar. He has appeared in only two games, playing 16 combined snaps against the Eagles in Week 2 and the Patriots in Week 5. He got one catch for no gain in the Cowboys' win at Philadelphia.
"Definitely getting those reps early on in the year, that helped me quite a bit," Swaim said. "We'll be ready to roll."
Head coach Jason Garrett said the team likes Swaim's versatility as a blocker, route runner and receiver.
"He's a young tight end. But he has a lot of different traits that make you feel like he could be a complete tight end," Garrett said. "He did a good job blocking in training camp and showed he could run routes and catch the ball. He plays with a physicalness and aggressiveness, so it'll be a good opportunity for him to get out there and play and be a part of this."
