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PW: I have no doubt the news of your trade caught you off-guard. Tell me where you were when you got the call, who delivered the message and what was your first reaction to the move.
Switzer: I had just left the facility, actually. I had gotten a workout in earlier and when they called me, my wife and I were on our way to the mall, actually. We were pulling out of our neighborhood and coach [Jason] Garrett called me and I kind of had already known at that point, but he put [Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones] on the phone. You know Jerry just kind of explaining what was going on, that they had someone that they wanted and Oakland had called and inquiry about me -- so Jerry talked to me for a little bit and coach Garrett was put back on the phone and that's pretty much it. My wife and I turned around, went back to the house and processed everything that had happened.
PW: Did it feel like a gut punch when you got the news from from Jason [Garrett] and Jerry Jones?
Switzer: Oh, no question it did. You know just because of the preparation that I had been putting in up to this point to be as successful as I could with Dallas. And you know I'm a young kid [so] I've never been traded before, obviously, [and] never had anything like this happen. It was just all new to me, you know, but at the end of the day you know I realized the work that I put in isn't [going] to waste. It's just going to be for another team now. I know the work that I've put in will, regardless of me being traded or not, make me a better player. It is what it is now. I understand that the NFL is a business. It's the career that I've chosen and I've got to take everything that comes with it, good and bad.
PW: Dallas grabbed you in the fourth round hoping your dominance with the Tar Heels would translate to the NFL. It definitely did and, in the return game, you became one of the best in the league. What do you think went wrong that caused the Cowboys to trade away what ultimately became one of their best weapons in 2017, though?
Switzer: I don't know. That's something I'm still kind of pondering. The more I think on it, I think that they had a different plan for me than what I was capable of doing. I don't know. Looking back I had two or three rushes in the NFL before receptions and I was taking reps at running back at times. I don't know if were trying to use me as like a scat-back or what. There was a lot of talk about my high school days and being a RB and I don't think I ever fit that mold as a change-of-pace back or someone with slide sweeps and carries. I don't know if that's the plan they had for me [because] it was never spoken, but when I try to piece these things together -- that's kind of what I'm thinking. ...I think that had a little bit to do with it because I can't really think of anything else. ...I did, like coach Garrett [told] me, I did everything [asked of me] and more. I felt like that, too. I'm not really sure. That's about as good of a guess as I have.
PW: What do you think, from your end, you could've done better your rookie season that might've swayed their decision -- if anything?
Switzer: [Laughs] Honestly, man. I don't know. I did everything I could. I was one of those "get there early, stay late" [players]. You know I had great practices. When I got my opportunity at the end of the year against Philly, I produced. I never really knew what they were going to do with [Cole Beasley] and I. ...I guess if anything, I wish I could take back the hamstring injury that I got at the beginning of camp, but those are things that you can't control. I thought I bounced back well from that. I thought I was still prepared at the beginning of the season, so you know it's just one of those things where it's just something that just happened. From my end, I think I controlled what I could control and I thought I put in the time and the energy needed to have a successful year. I'm satisfied with what I did on my end.
PW: You're reuniting with former Cowboys' special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia in Oakland. That makes for an easy transition on the special teams front, one you aced your rookie year. The Cowboys couldn't figure out how to use your proficiency as a wideout to their advantage though, so now having practiced with the Raiders and met with coaches and quarterback Derek Carr -- how confident are you things will be different on the offensive front in The Black Hole?
Switzer: Yeah, I am confident and I'm confident because [the Raiders] came and got me. They wanted me. Coach Bisaccia and obviously coach [Jon] Gruden see something in me. I'm confident because I know what I bring to the table. I know how successful I can be in this league as the receiver and just being one week with these guys and the offense with [Derek Carr], I feel a lot more confident from an offensive standpoint going into this year with Oakland. I'm just excited about that. I'm excited about the opportunity to learn from coach Gruden. I'm excited about the opportunity to play with guys like [wide receiver] Jordy Nelson, Amari Cooper and Martavis [Bryant] coming over from Pittsburgh. I think it's going to be a really deep receiving unit and, ultimately, I think we're going to have a lot of success.
PW: You had an interesting hashtag in one of your recent tweets, where you said "bet the house on me". You were already training passionately this offseason to become a true multi-threat weapon for the Cowboys, but it sounds like the unexpected trade put an even bigger chip on your shoulder, as it would any player in your situation. Tell me, and the NFL, what that hashtag truly means to you and what opposing defenses can expect to see in 2018.
Switzer: It means just that. It means the confidence that I have in myself from a talent standpoint and from a preparation standpoint, I feel like I've trained as hard as I possibly could the last three months leading up to OTA's to be in the best shape and to be the best Ryan Switzer I can be. I've always played with a chip on my shoulder but I never had anything like this happen, where I just felt disrespected. It's not something that's going to weigh me down and create a negative. I feel more so that it's going to be something that propels me and not that I needed any external motivation, but this is kind of nice. I gave my all to Dallas. I gave everything I had to the organization and I plan on doing the same thing in Oakland. Any day of the week no matter what I play [and] no matter what I do, I would bet the house on me. I'm really excited to be somewhere I'm wanted, to start a new chapter and to see where this year and the next couple years take me.
PW: What is your single biggest regret and what are you most thankful for regarding your time with the Cowboys?
Switzer: You know, I don't want to say like there's nothing that could've been done differently, but I think "regret" is a strong word. I think, honestly, I really do think I maximized every potential resource that was given to me in Dallas and I feel like as much as I learned and as much as I grew as a player and person and just one year in the NFL -- I don't really have any regrets. Like I said earlier, I gave everything to that organization for 17 weeks during the season. I think I can be at peace knowing this decision wasn't based on anything I did and sometimes things just don't work out. I do believe God doesn't mistakes so there must be something better out there for me if I have to move on. As far as the second half of that question, I feel like the relationships I formed in Dallas with some of the guys like Noah Brown, Lance Lenoir, Dak Prescott, Anthony Brown, Taco [Charlton], etc. -- that's something that, when this football is over, those relationships are always going to be there. That's something I'm glad I formed in Dallas in such a short time, in just one year. It's something that I'll miss, being around those guys that I mentioned every day, but I know some of the same relationships can be formed in Oakland and I'm looking forward to seeing where that goes.
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