Standing at 6 foot 5 inches and 257 lbs. Erik Swoope is the exact same size as former Raiders tight end Jared Cook, but is that the only similarity?
Erik Swoope is not what you would call a typical journeyman, having only played on two teams (now on his third) in his four-year career. Swoope was signed by the Indianapolis Colts in 2014 as an undrafted free-agent, where he played for four years before being waived, then signed to the practice squad the following day.
Swoope was added back to the 53-man roster on September 22 and waived again on the 28th, only to return to the 53 man roster where he would stay until his release on December 11, 2018. Swoope was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Saints on December 12, but was released immediately when he failed his physical. He was then added back to the Colts practice squad where he remained until May 21, 2019 when Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders signed him.
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A true athlete, while at The U (University of Miami) Swoope hadn’t played football, in fact he didn’t play football in high school either. Swoope had always been a basketball player, as he was named the Mission League MVP in high school and went on to play basketball at The U.
It wasn’t until his collegiate career was set to come to an end, that Swoope began to wonder what was next for him. Not having the stats and accolades to be drafted into the NBA, and unsure about playing overseas, Swoope was conflicted about what to do so he reached out to a former Miami basketball player turned NFL superstar, Jimmy Graham and began to pick his brain about making the jump from the hard court to the gridiron.
Swoope began training for the NFL harder than ever, working out with former Hurricanes Graham and Johnathan Vilma, he began watching film and playing Madden to understand how to read defenses, and in 2014 he was signed to the Colts practice squad. Now, obviously Madden isn’t the best barometer for someone to learn the complexities of the game of football, but Swoope isn’t your average athlete.
During his time as a member of the Canes basketball team, Swoope earned Academic All-American honors and as an Economics major, he is great at understanding the complexities of different systems quickly and effectively.
Swoope comes to the Raiders with 23 receptions, 384 yards and 4 touchdowns, which at first glance aren’t very impressive numbers until we look at in those four years that was through six starts and of those 384 yards, Swoope averaged 16.7 yards per catch. Comparing those numbers to former Raiders tight end Jared Cook in his first four years we have 8 touchdowns, 1717 yards and 13.1 yards per catch in 11 games started. Where the comparison truly lies is in the fact that both players are large, athletic targets with good speed and great hands that Jon Gruden and Derek Carr like.
The tight end room has become a packed one with Derek Carrier, Paul Butler, Darren Waller, Luke Willson, Foster Moreau and now Erik Swoope. We should obviously prepare for the Raiders to move on from at least two of these names ,but it seems likely that Swoope should make the 53-man roster given his ability.
With the departure of veterans Jared Cook, Carr’s favorite target in 2018, and Lee Smith, who was more of a blocking TE with goal line TD ability, the Raiders look to fill those missing pieces.
It’s safe to say that the tight end group is going to be a skill group under the microscope because of the decision to not re-sign Cook, but if Swoope and Carr can develop good chemistry, he has the potential to be a large part of the offensive plan.