The Dallas Cowboys selected wide receiver Ryan Switzer during the 2017 NFL Draft. After strong OTAs with Cole Beasley out injured, is the rookie his replacement?
There is never too much of a good thing when it comes to an NFL depth chart at wide receiver. For the Dallas Cowboys, they might’ve found a steal when they selected Ryan Switzer in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft this past April. Some have said he can be a difference-maker on the Cowboys offense, while he could also affect special teams as a returner. It also seems he could be getting prepared to eventually take the slot receiver spot currently held by Cole Beasley.
Beasley has one year left on his current Cowboys contract. As he is coming off the best season of his career, maybe the Cowboys are thinking about the future and that they now have Beasley’s replacement already on the roster in Switzer.
The first week in OTAs is already completed, and Switzer is taking advantage of the time he’s been allotted with starting quarterback Dak Prescott with Beasley missing the first workouts due to injury. His work has offensive coordinator Scott Linehan giving praise to the rookie wide receiver. Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com quoted Linehan about Switzer’s role in the upcoming season:
"“His role is significant. You can see right now he’s getting reps that we wouldn’t have … if he wasn’t here. He complements Beasley and also gives us some big-time needed depth at that position.”"
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Having Switzer and Beasley potentially on the field at the same time in 2017 could be very interesting and exciting. The Cowboys already began the improvement of their offense last year when they added Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott to the mix. So adding Switzer in the fourth round to become another slot wide receiver makes sense for the Cowboys. He’s depth, he’s a weapon, and he’s possibly going to replace Beasley should he leave in free agency.
But the question still remains: Is Switzer the next Beasley? Many believe that he is, and for good reason. In 2016, Beasley caught 75 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns. One plus about Beasley going into 2017, even with him coming off a career year, is the fact he’s improved statistically with each pro season.
For his career, Beasley has totaled 2,285 yards and 16 touchdowns on 218 receptions over five seasons. At North Carolina in his four years, Switzer caught 243 receptions for 2,903 yards with 19 touchdowns.
With the two players having similar styles, the Cowboys essentially drafted a younger and possibly improved version of Beasley. But maybe more importantly, he’ll be easier on the salary cap in future seasons as the price tag of Beasley is sure to go up following the conclusion of the 2017 season.
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So yes, it can be said Switzer is the new Beasley. However, maybe he’ll be an even better version of the standout side receiver with the Cowboys already in a good place offensively as he begins his NFL career.