UNC in the NFL: Ryan Switzer scores TD in first game with Raiders

Ryan Switzer caught just one pass for the Oakland Raiders Friday night but it went for a touchdown in his debut.

Former University of North Carolina wide receiver Ryan Switzer was a little shocked when he was traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Oakland Raiders during the 2018 NFL Draft.  Switzer spent just one season with the Cowboys before being dealt to the Raiders but now he’s getting a much-needed fresh start.

The receiver joins an Oakland team that was in the playoffs just two years ago but struggled last season in a tough AFC West Division. They made offseason moves to release Michael Crabtree and bring in veteran Jordy Nelson to play alongside Amari Cooper.

Going into the preseason, Switzer was expected to compete for a starting job in the slot position in the offense that is quarterbacked by Derek Carr. Through the first few practices, Switzer was getting reps with the first-team, a good sign for him.

But on Friday in the team’s first preseason game, Switzer made an impact in a big way.

During the second quarter of the Raiders’ preseason game against the Detroit Lions, Switzer made a diving attempt on a pass from quarterback Connor Cook that resulted in his first touchdown as a member of the Raiders.

It also gave him the chance to leap into the Black Hole for the first time in his career:

Switzer had just the one catch for seven yards on the game, but he’s made his presence felt throughout camp and most recently in the past week.

Oakland hosted a joint practice with the Lions leading up to the game and according to one beat reporter, a few Detroit players were talking up Switzer. The Athletic’s Chris Burke tweeted out that defensive back Teez Tabor was one of the players talking up Switzer during the joint practice:

As a receiver, Switzer didn’t really get a chance to make a big impact and only had a total of 7 targets on the year. He caught 6 of those targets for 41 yards.

Swizter did have an impact on the return game, racking up 600 kick return yards and 256 punt return yards last season. He returned one punt for a touchdown.

Going into the second preseason game next week, it appears as if Switzer will be the third wide receiver on the depth chart according to NFL reporter Mike Clay. He should be able to hold that spot down, barring any injury.

We will continue to monitor Swizter’s play as the preseason goes on and into the regular season as hopefully he can make a big impact for the Raiders this year.