During the opening night of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions made a surprising move by drafting Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick. The moment the pick was announced, it felt as if D’Andre Swift was going to be on his way out of Detroit.
Today, that move became official as it was reported that the Philadelphia Eagles had agreed to trade for the former Georgia running back. Per Adam Schefter, the Eagles are trading a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a seventh-round pick (219th overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft. For the Lions, they part ways with Swift and a seventh-round pick (249th overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft.
It’s bittersweet to see Swift get dealt because there was so much potential. Unfortunately, he never became the guy the Lions needed him to be. He’s a promising pass-catcher and it shows with his 156 career receptions. Injuries prevented him from getting consistent carries out of the backfield.
Swift will now return back home to Philadelphia. He was born and raised there and for his sake, I hope he’s able to carve out a significant role for the Eagles. With how the depth chart is designed, there’s potential for him to be the starting running back. He’ll need to stay healthy and will need to trust his vision and burst when hitting the hole.
As for the Lions, they move up 30 spots in the 7th round for the 2023 NFL Draft and get some future draft capital. Furthermore, the role that was designed for Swift in Detroit now belongs to Jahmyr Gibbs.
To me, there’s more burst and acceleration from Gibbs and he seems to trust his skill-set more consistently when the ball is in his hands. It’ll be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Ben Johnson deploys him in their new-look offense that features David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
