The Oakland Raiders wasted no time in getting safety D.J. Swearinger involved in his debut with the team during the Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Raiders had been dealt a number of crucial blows to their secondary throughout the course of the 2019 NFL season and this was especially prevalent heading into Week 11. Not only did they have to find a way to overcome the season-ending foot injury safety Karl Joseph suffered but the absence of fellow safety Lamarcus Joyner also let another notable void over the top as he recovers from a hamstring issue.
Fortunately, Swearinger proved that he is more than up to the task after registering a team-high six tackles in the clutch 17-10 victory. It appears he underwent quite the crash course beforehand to ensure he kept the mistakes to a minimum.
Swearinger admits he was locked in on studying the playbook once he was brought in, via Kyle Martin of the team’s official website:
“I put in a lot of hours,” he said. “Came in and met with the coaches over the weekend when I got here. I made sure I studied every night, put in the work, and I got great results.”
Swearinger added that he is already enjoying the fan atmosphere with his new team:
“It was a great atmosphere,” Swearinger shared. “One of the best stadiums that I’ve played in for sure. Just going about how the fans get up and loud on third downs, that is how you can really tell about the fans and they were very loud. We actually had to call a timeout one time because we couldn’t hear the calls so it is great. I love it.”
It is undoubtedly encouraging to see that Swearinger has fully embraced becoming a Raider heading into the final stretch of the 2019 campaign. There is no question that they are certainly glad to have a player of his caliber take on an integral role in their defense on such short notice.
Some growing pains are to be expected as Swearinger continues to get situated with the defensive playbook, however, there is good reason to be optimistic in his ability to serve as a viable replacement moving forward. As a result, the Raiders can continue to focus on a potential playoff run without having to worry too much about the losses they have suffered in the secondary this season.
Swearinger will be looking to build off his debut when Oakland hits the road to take on the New York Jets in Week 12.
