Philadelphia Eagles

Howie does it again, lands D'Andre Swift in a trade

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Another Georgia Bulldog is joining the Eagles. This time through a trade.

The Eagles on Saturday afternoon pulled off a trade with the Lions to bring running back D’Andre Swift home to Philadelphia.

The Eagles got Swift for a 2025 fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick swap this season. The Eagles gave up pick 219 this year and received pick 249 in this seventh round.

"Philly kid. St. Joe’s prep," Eagles GM Howie Roseman said on ESPN. "Kid that we know playing in high school, obviously followed him in college. Tremendous player, tremendous person. Excited to get him to Philly."

Swift, 24, was a second-round pick out of Georgia back in 2020 and is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2023. The Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round so Swift became expendable.

In the final year of his rookie contract, Swift is set to have a base salary of $1.77 million in 2023.

In his NFL career, Swift has missed some time with injury and probably hasn’t quite lived up to his draft status but he’s still a dangerous player with a ton of potential. In his three years in the NFL, Swift has 364 carries for 1,680 yards (4.6) and 18 touchdowns. He’s also a threat out of the backfield with 156 receptions in his career.

Last season, Swift played in 14 games with 8 starts and rushed for 542 yards with 5 touchdowns. He also caught 48 passes for 389 yards and 3 more scores.

There are just five players in NFL history who have rushed for 1,500 yards with an average of 4.6 or higher and caught 150+ passes in their first three seasons and Swift is one of them. The other four are Alvin Kamara, LeSean McCoy, Christian McCaffrey and William Andrews.

In Philadelphia, Swift will join a running back room that already includes Kenny Gainwell, Boston Scott, Rashaad Penny and Trey Sermon. The Eagles had a Pro Bowl running back in 2022 with Miles Sanders, but he left this offseason to join the Carolina Panthers on a four-year, $25 million contract.

It never seemed likely the Eagles were going to pay Sanders on a long-term deal. They have found a way to piece together a running back room that could still be quite dynamic in 2023.

Last season, Swift had a career game against the Eagles in the season opener. In Week 1 of the 2022 season, Swift had 15 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown and also added 3 catches for 31 yards.

"He’s got big play ability as a runner and a receiver," Roseman said to ESPN. "We saw it first-hand when we were in Detroit the first game of the season. He’s got vision, obviously tremendous character. Adds to that. We liked our running backs. We didn’t go into the draft feeling like this was a position we had to have. But we felt like this player is somebody who could really add to our culture and add to our team. I’m sure I’m out of the Florida alumni association as we speak."

Before going to Georgia and becoming a college standout, Swift was a star running back at St. Joe’s Prep in Philly. He was high school teammates with Eagles receiver Olamide Zaccheus, who signed as a free agent this offseason.

At the college level, Swift became a star, rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his final two seasons for the Bulldogs.

Here’s the scouting report from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein a few years ago when Swift was entering the draft. Zierlein gave a comp of Frank Gore:

“Swift possesses the play traits and running style of a skillful NFL veteran and is the latest in an avalanche of talented Georgia backs. Tempo and decisiveness are his calling cards, making him a highly talented inside/outside zone runner. He's a cerebral runner who understands block timing and uses quick-cut agility and rare spatial awareness to read and react to defenses beyond the second level. Swift isn't overly explosive as a home-run hitter and doesn't run with the violence of last year's top running back, Josh Jacobs. He can step right in and provide early stability and production as an efficient, every-down back with Offensive Rookie of the Year potential.”

 

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