The Rico Gathers experiment for the Dallas Cowboys is over, the team announced on Monday.

After a week of training camp, the Cowboys have seen what they need to see. The tight end was entering his fourth camp with the team, and showed growth over his career. The process started with the practice squad for the first two years, then rising to the active roster in 2018. In 2019, Gathers hadn't made the impact needed, and he injured his ankle.

A former Baylor Bear, Gather didn't play football in the NCAA ranks. Instead, he played power forward for the basketball team. Despite a lack of experience, the Cowboys saw a future NFL tight end in the 6-foot-8 athlete and took him in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. However, the experiment didn't quite work, as indicated by this transaction on Monday.

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Gathers has three NFL receptions for 45 yards to his name, all in 2018. When playing, he has been used in a blocking capacity.

If picked up by another team, the tight end will miss the first game of the season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. In March, he was arrested based on a drug paraphernalia charge. The severity of his ankle injury is unknown, but he missed multiple practices before his release.

With Gathers out of the picture, the Cowboys should bring in three tight ends for the 2019 season. The unretired Jason Witten will join Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz. The three are the only tight ends currently on the Cowboys' 90-man roster.