The Steelers' trade for Ryan Switzer shook up the outlook for the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart. The second-year wide receiver is already on his third team, but his reputation as a returner and a slot receiver puts the Steelers in an interesting situation.
What are his skills and how do they fit? We study his rookie season to provide answers:
Switzer's numbers at the NFL combine fit the profile of a shifty receiver who can work at getting open in the middle of the field. He tied with Penn State's Chris Godwin for the combine's best 20-yard shuttle time among wide receivers at 4.00 seconds, and he recorded the second-best time among wide receivers for the 60-yard shuttle at 11.34 seconds.
Switzer's best athletic gift is changing directions quickly to accelerate and break away. Switzer's 4.51 40-yard dash time shows he doesn't have elite straight-line speed. Add that to his 5-foot-8, 181-pound frame, and you get a receiver who primarily fits as a shifty option in the slot.
That's where Switzer saw most of his time with the Cowboys, though there was very little of it in 2017 with only 92 snaps, 26 of which came in the last game. His six receptions for 41 yards leave little to study of his success, but there was a theme to how most of them occurred.
Watch how he gets open in the slot here, setting up his inside move with a good stutter step. That forced the cornerback to give up inside leverage, so Switzer could present a good target for Dak Prescott:
That's where Switzer was able to help the Cowboys in their closing game last season. His ability to stop on a dime and employ quick footwork presented a challenge for cornerbacks trying to jam and run with him over the middle of the field.
It's also what made Switzer a return man for the Cowboys, as he was good at making the first man miss on special teams. His 24 kickoff returns got him 600 yards, an average of 25 yards per return, and no scores. His 29 punt returns got him 256 yards, an average of 8.83 yards, and a touchdown.
Comparatively, the Steelers' best kickoff returner was JuJu Smith-Schuster, who took nine returns for 256 yards and a touchdown for an average of 26.7 yards. The team's best punt returner was Eli Rogers, who took 19 returns for 146 yards, an average of 7.7 yards, and no touchdowns.
Remember that the Steelers tried to not let Antonio Brown handle too many returns, otherwise he would've been the leader in that department.
But the Steelers need a player who isn't a starting wide receiver to return kicks, so Switzer might be their man. Here he is returning a punt for a touchdown last season. Watch how he's able to squeeze between two defenders and then make second and third moves to keep changing directions until he had made the punter miss:
Switzer probably won't be an expert returner — he muffed a punt just like Rogers did last season against the Bears — but he will provide a quicker option for the position.
That quickness is what could set him apart from the Steelers other slot options — Rogers, Marcus Tucker and potentially Damoun Patterson. Switzer is good at creating space for himself, but he hasn't shown the ability to make great acrobatic catches or pull in tough passes.
Watch how he does a good job getting separation with a double move in the slot against the Eagles, but once Prescott misses with a throw behind him, Switzer fails to bring the ball in. Though the throw could've been better, this was one of few opportunities for Switzer to show how well he can adjust to the ball and keep a play alive, and he failed:
Not that a play like that should make anyone turn away from Switzer, but the reason Rogers found a place with the Steelers was his rapport with Roethlisberger. Rogers wasn't as shifty as Switzer has shown he can be, but he developed a knack for sticking to plays and extending them with Roethlisberger.
Here's him doing just that two years ago in a clutch play to keep a key drive alive against the Ravens in the Steelers' huge Christmas Day win. As Roethlisberger rolled out of the pocket, Rogers kept going until Roethlisberger saw him, and made a great catch to gain the first down:
If Switzer is going to be effective for the Steelers, he might need this kind of a connection with Roethlisberger. Last year, I watched Roethlisberger challenge Rogers in training camp when he struggled and later celebrate with Rogers, even in his unacclaimed successes as a run blocker.
Their connection certainly helped keep Rogers' job, and if Switzer can work with Roethlisberger to become as dependable a receiving option, his spot will be safe. But it takes time and chemistry for those types of connections, which might be something Roethlisberger may prefer over Switzer's athleticism when Rogers is activated off the PUP list.
If nothing else, Switzer is the immediate backup option in the slot should the Steelers' wide receiver group get thin due to injury. His window to develop chemistry with Roethlisberger will be at least as long as Rogers' time on the PUP list. Watch to see if any of that manifests if Switzer gets a chance in the slot.