As the open-to-the-media portion of this week’s OTAs have concluded, a couple of players have stood out for various reasons:
*Tight end Gavin Escobar is using his big body to shield defenders and pluck the ball out of the air.
*Cornerback B.W. Webb continues to struggle, getting badly beaten on routes by Cole Beasley and Tim Benford.
*Kyle Orton still has the roster in limbo (if he doesn’t show up to next week’s mandatory minicamp it’ll be a legitimate problem).
*And Zack Martin is as versatile as advertised.
The first-round pick from Notre Dame started at left tackle in college, is plugged in at right guard for the Cowboys, but also took some turns over the ball during OTAs.
“It’s hard,” Martin told a group of reporters Tuesday at Valley Ranch. “I told Travis (Frederick) the first time I was in there, ‘God, you got a lot going on up there.’ Just trying to get better every day, but there’s definitely a lot going on over the ball.”
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Obviously Frederick is the starting center. And Mackenzy Bernadeau is the backup. But if Martin can also play the position in a pinch, it would give the Cowboys some much-needed roster flexibility.
“He’s a really, really smart football player,” head coach Jason Garrett said of Martin. “He’s got a long way to go, don’t get me wrong. He’s had about 10 practices with us. But the versatility, we viewed him as a guy who could potentially play all five offensive line spots.”
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
