OXNARD, California – T.J. Vasher spent the entirety of his first season with the Cowboys on the injured reserve list. The 6-foot-6 wide receiver suffered a knee injury in his final season at Texas Tech and went undrafted in 2021. Teams were reluctant to take a chance on an injured wideout. He signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent in May of that year and prepared for the long road back.
A little over 14 months later, Vasher made the most spectacular catch at training camp so far: a leaping one-handed grab for a touchdown. His teammates instantly swarmed him in the endzone, knowing all the hard work Vasher put in to return to form.
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“Oh it feels amazing,” Vasher admitted. “I haven’t felt that feeling in a long time, so it felt good. It’s kind of indescribable to be honest. Honestly, the last time was against Texas my senior year at home.”
@dallascowboys Ok Vash, we 👀 you! #DallasCowboys #TrainingCamp #NFL
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There’s a significant chance that this season could prove to be Vasher’s coming-out party. As reported yesterday, recently-signed wideout James Washington will miss the next 6-10 weeks with a Jones fracture in his right foot. Michael Gallup is still recovering from an ACL injury he suffered last season and will be unavailable at the beginning of the 2022 campaign. That hasn’t stopped Gallup from coaching up the younger receivers on the team like Vasher and rookie Jalen Tolbert. The receiving corps might be running thin, but the balance between cooperation and competition is still evident on the practice field.
“I think that’s the competitive nature that you want to have in a room,” Vasher said. “Everyone wants to work and push each other to be better and let the best man win. Me being a bigger guy, CeeDee is a little shifty... I try to learn and incorporate some of the stuff in his game that I can put in mine.”