Background
Gachkar grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, while attending Blue Valley West High School, where he played both running back and linebacker.
Gachkar grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, while attending Blue Valley West High School, where he played both running back and linebacker.
Gachkar, rated the number 12 overall prospect in the state of Kansas, chose to play collegiately at the University of Missouri.
He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Missouri. He was a two-year year starter for the Tigers.
In 2009, he started 13 games at strongside linebacker and had 80 tackles (second on the team).
The next year he was moved to weakside linebacker to replace All-American Sean Weatherspoon, finishing with 84 tackles. San Diego Chargers
Gachkar was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the seventh round (234th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.
On July 28, 2011, he was signed to a four-year deal with the Chargers. As a rookie he played mainly on special teams and posted 12 special teams tackles (second on the team).
He became a valuable special teams player, while also being a solid reserve linebacker.
In 2012, he recorded 13 tackles (2 for loss), one sack and eight special teams tackles. The next season he started 3 games, making 25 tackles (one for loss) and 8 special teams tackles. In 2014, he received more playing time due to injuries and defensive coordinator John Pagano"s rotations at linebacker.
He registered 5 starts, 46 tackles (6 for loss), 16 special teams tackles and also scored his first NFL touchdown against the Saint Louis Rams on a fumble recovery.
Dallas Cowboys
On March 15, 2015, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys for a two-year, $5.5 million contract, reuniting with former Chargers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia. As a reserve linebacker, he showed the ability to play all three positions and made Jasper Brinkley expendable.
He played in every game, registering 8 special teams tackles (second on the team) and 13 defensive tackles.