Ryan Switzer doesn't care what you think of him.
Now that we have that out of the way, realize that Switzer isn't the untalented bum some seem to think. He doesn't necessarily have a role with the 2020 Steelers, either, but he's working on that.
Switzer is taking advantage of James Washington being out action the last three days to show he can be a factor -- especially with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback.
The Steelers worked on a two-minute offense on Wednesday. Switzer, playing his typical spot in the slot, showed why Roethlisberger likes him so much, catching a third-down pass to move the chains and also finished off the series for the first-team offense by catching a short touchdown pass.
"He’s been throwing it really well," Switzer said of Roethlisberger. "He’s been throwing it consistently on back-to-back-to-back days. I’m so excited to be out there with him again. It’s good to have him back."
It's especially good for Switzer. With Roethlisberger out of the lineup last season, Switzer became a forgotten man, then got hurt. Young quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges didn't have the same rapport with the diminutive slot receiver. Then, he suffered a back injury that sidelined him and forced him to finish the season on IR.
But Switzer is something of a security blanket for Roethlisberger. He knows where Switzer is going to be at all times. He is that easy pitch and catch that helps the Steelers move the chains and allows Roethlisberger to get the ball out of his hands quickly.
In 2018, that added up to 36 receptions for 252 yards on 42 targets. That's a completion percentage of 81.8 percent. They're easy throws, but chain movers nonetheless.
"In my mind, there’s no limit on what I believe I can bring to this offense," said Switzer, who says he's dropped six pounds from his playing weight despite being noticeably stronger by eating more healthy. "I pushed myself really hard this offseason because I believe I can help this team win a championship. I have to prove No. 7 (Roethlisberger) right. I have to prove a lot of people right. That’s what I’ve been focused on. I haven’t focused on the people I’m trying to prove wrong. I’m trying to prove coach (Mike) Tomlin and Mr. (Kevin) Colbert and Mr. (Art) Rooney right. I’m trying to prove all the people who believe in me right, No. 7 being one of them. He trusts me in those situations."
Will that trust developed between Roethlisberger and Switzer be enough for Switzer to earn a spot on this roster? We'll see. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Washington and second-round draft pick Chase Claypool are assured roster spots. The Steelers typically keep six wide receivers.
That leaves Switzer fighting for a spot with the likes of Deon Cain, Saeed Blacknall, Amara Darboh and Anthony Johnson for two spots on the 53-man roster. Given the COVID-19 situation, there's a good chance the Steelers keep two receivers on the practice squad, as well.
So, unless the Steelers decide to go outside the organization, there's a good chance all of them make it. That doesn't mean he has to be part of the receiver rotation. But he'll be on the team. And if any injury happens with one of the top four guys, he's likely the next man up.
So, go after Switzer on social media all you want. Call him names and downplay his talent to stick in the NFL for four seasons now. He doesn't care.
"I’m blessed, man. I don’t know. I’m comfortable in my own skin," Switzer told me when I asked him how he tunes out the negativity. "I’m comfortable with who I am as a person, with who I am as a player, what I’ve done in my career, what I think I’m going to do with my career. The only opinions I concern myself with are my employers, my wife and my God. There’s a lot of negativity, but if you live for someone’s approval, you’ll die for their criticisms. Good or bad, you can’t listen to it. It comes with the territory, and you just have to push forward."
• Benny Snell told us today that he's dropped down to 212 pounds this season from his listed weight of 224 pounds.
"The Steelers gave me a plan," Snell said. "I stuck to it, and I feel like it will help me a ton going into this year with my lateral quickness, my speed, me taking care of my body, the hits I can take, etc."
Count Snell, however, among the players who would have liked to have had a preseason. He would have liked to have seen if he did add enough quickness to better elude defenders and show what he could do in the passing game.
"I would," Snell said when I asked him that. "I definitely would, but we still have a whole season ahead of us. That’s my opportunity. That’s my chance. That’s where I’ll try to show it."
Snell isn't bad at catching the ball. I noted that last year during the offseason and during camp. His problem is that James Conner and Jaylen Samuels are better at it. So, he might not get those opportunities during the season as much as he'd like.
• Anyone expecting Jordan Berry not to be the Steelers' punter this season is going to be sorely disappointed. Yes, the Steelers brought Corliss Waitman to camp this year.
But there's much more involved here than just punting the ball.
"Shoot, you’re just talking about a portion of the issues relative to sorting that out," Tomlin said when asked how he could assess both punters without preseason games. "How about the holding element of it as well, which is also a component of the job? That’s the challenge that we’re all faced with. There’s a lot of those battles in terms of the division of labor that’s worrisome in this environment."
Berry has been Chris Boswell's holder since 2015. Boswell made 29 of 31 field goal attempts last season. There's no way the Steelers are going to mess with that for the sake of perhaps gaining an extra yard of punt return average.
And Berry averaged a very solid 45.5 yards per punt last season. Like Switzer, he's not going anywhere.
• Give special teams coordinator Danny Smith the quote of the day, if not the quote of the early portion of camp.
Asked about what makes fullback Derek Watt so good on special teams, Smith replied, "He’s a Watt. His mom and dad ought to be writing books. We all ought to be reading it."
Good point.
• Good news on the injury front. Rookie Kevin Dotson, who left practice early with a knee injury Tuesday, was on the sideline Wednesday without a brace on his knee.
Tomlin said first-year tight end Dax Raymond, who left with an ankle injury Tuesday, isn't a long-term issue, either.
That's good news for both of those young players.
Dotson isn't going to get a chance to start as some would like this season. He's part of the plan for 2021 and beyond. But that would have been an issue if he had been out for the season, as initially feared.
Tight end Eric Ebron was back Wednesday, as well, after sitting out Tuesday. And Washington and defensive lineman Chris Wormley participated in a limited fashion after missing the first two days of padded practices.
The only player of note still out who had been out was guard David DeCastro.
The Steelers are off on Thursday and return for a padded practice on Friday. If DeCastro is still out then, it will start to be a cause for concern.
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