Dallas Cowboys first-round picks Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence got most of the attention at the club’s rookie meet this weekend, but there was another familiar last name in the group: Switzer.
Zach Switzer, grandson of Cowboys Super Bowl coach Barry Switzer, was invited to try out for the club in rookie camp. Switzer, a running back at Presbyterian, told reporters that his grandfather reached out to the Cowboys’ scouting department and asked them to take a look at Zach.
“He didn’t have to,” Switzer said via the team’s official website. “But I’m super grateful, super honored and super blessed to have the opportunity to do something like this and achieve one of my dreams.”
Rookie minicamps are generally used for first-year players, especially those in the draft, to learn the playbook and repeat the new schemes. The padded nature of the drills makes it difficult for the experimental player to stand out on the field.
“I’m extremely grateful, extremely honored and extremely blessed to have the opportunity to do something like this and achieve one of my dreams,” he said. “And until then [making a team]I’m just going to keep telling them I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Switzer began his career at Memphis before transferring to Presbyterian, an FCS school, where he was named the Pioneer League’s leading kicker and finished with more than 1,100 scrimmage yards. The grandson of a former NFL coach understands that going from rookie to roster is a long shot, but he plans to take every opportunity he can to carve out a career for himself.
“You have to go 100 percent every single rep you get,” Switzer said. “Take advantage of every opportunity to get on the field — whether it’s special teams, running drills or walk-throughs — knowing every play. It’s really just about doing your best and understanding what you can do.”