Pretty much any NFL running back would gain chunks of yardage with help from the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line, the best in the business (no matter what Miami and San Francisco fans say). Still, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman keeps seeking better men to lug that ol’ pigskin.
On the last day of the NFL draft in April, he swung a trade with the Detroit Lions for D’Andre Swift, a Philly native and former second-round draft pick whose reputation, aided by the Hard Knocks soap opera, had been trashed.
Duce Staley, the Lions assistant head coach and running backs coach (and, coincidentally, an ex-Eagle), was shown in HBO’s behind-the-scenes documentary last summer chiding Swift during an expletive-laced pep talk for not running with more confidence, or hunger.
So the word was out: Swift was soft. In three seasons with Detroit he hadn’t stood out, rushing for 1,680 yards and missing 10 games with injuries. He became expendable when the Lions used a first-round draft pick this year to select Jahmyr Gibbs, who wrapped up his college career at Alabama.
“I know who I am,” Swift said evenly at a news conference after joining the Eagles. “I know what I’m about. I know I’m as tough as they come.”
The Eagles are one of two 5-0 teams in the NFL for many different reasons, most of which have to do with their stoic and efficient quarterback, Jalen Hurts. The Eagles also have superb receivers and a tenacious defense. But Swift has contributed a lot more than expected.
D’Andre is only the second-most famous Swift around the NFL this season – Taylor is entrenched at No 1 as long as she is seen with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. But D’Andre Swift has had his own impact on the league this season. He has rushed for 434 yards in five games, despite the fact that he had only one carry for three yards in the Eagles’ season opener.
Gibbs has missed a game and rushed for 179 yards for the Lions, who are 4-1 and rolling. Miles Sanders, who ran for 3,708 yards in four years with the Eagles but was allowed to walk away because he’d make too much money, has 190 yards for the 0-5 Carolina Panthers.
Swift is fourth in the NFL in rushing this season, behind Christian McCaffrey of San Francisco, De’Von Achane of Miami and Zack Moss of Indianapolis. Swift hardly looked soft in the second half of the Eagles’ 23-14 victory Sunday over the Rams, pounding out 63 yards on 12 carries.
That O-line (center Jason Kelce, guards Landon Dickerson and Sua Opeta and tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson) deserve a lot of credit, of course. But Swift has taken an opportunity and run with it – propelled, in part, because he knew what he was getting into.
Swift, 24, grew up in Philadelphia and played at St Joseph’s Preparatory School, who have won seven of the last nine state championships (and lost the other two in the finals) in the largest classification in Pennsylvania. Swift led the school to a state title as a senior in 2016.
The Prep practiced a couple of times during the state football playoffs at the Eagles’ facility in south Philadelphia. Roseman knew about Swift as a high school player. It was not hard to know about him. He scored seven touchdowns in one game against archrival La Salle.
But that victory was so satisfying because La Salle had swarmed Swift in the Philadelphia Catholic League title game the previous year, leading to a stunning, last-second upset loss for the Prep. After rushing for 175 yards against Minnesota in his Eagles home debut on 14 September, Swift brought up those La Salle battles, calling this a “full-circle moment”.
“If you’ve been here, you kind of know how Philly sports are, how Philly fans are,” Swift said in August. “If you’re not from here, not accustomed to it, I could see how it could be a little too much. If it’s all good, they love you.”
Eleven days after the Vikings game, Swift rushed for 130 yards in a 25-11 victory at Tampa Bay. Brought in to be one of four running backs in a rotation, Swift had suddenly emerged as a workhorse, replaced only occasionally by Kenneth Gainwell, who is in his third year in the NFL.
(And if there is a backfield combo anywhere with better last names than Swift, Gainwell and Hurts, please let the NFL PR office know.)
This has all made for a delightful homecoming as the Eagles pursue a second straight Super Bowl appearance, but there could be a catch to come. Swift, acquired from Detroit for two low draft picks, is in the final year of his $8.5m rookie contract.
Miles Sanders (who also has a good first name for someone paid to gain ground, when you think about it) had a four-year, $5.35m rookie contract with the Eagles. Roseman, famously, refuses to pay top dollar to any running back, given their susceptibility to injury, like Swift. So Sanders signed a four-year, $25.4m deal as a free agent with the rebuilding Panthers.
It is possible that Swift could play just one season in Philadelphia after fortifying his resume – and repairing his damaged reputation – to sign a fatter contract with an NFL team that would lean even more heavily on him. Swift is not focused on next year, at least publicly. He talks about being a “piece to the puzzle”. He won’t bad-mouth anyone on the Lions.
Swift, who wore No 7 in high school and at Georgia and No 32 with the Lions, has said he chose to wear No 0 with the Eagles because the NFL had never offered that number before. He is distinct in that way, but it is as if he reset his football odometer when he moved home.
There is a long way to go. The Eagles, their record notwithstanding, still have some inconsistencies to clean up. Swift could be injured, or replaced. His future is unclear. None of it matters at the moment: to Swift go the spoils.
