Holding D’Andre Swift out through bye week is absolutely the right idea for the Lions

With a shoulder issue added to his previous ankle injury, the Lions should shut D’Andre Swift down as long as necessary.

Lions running back D’Andre Swift suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles, though you wouldn’t have known it as he ran for a career-high 144 yards. He played with the injury in Week 2 against Washington, and again in Week 3 against the Vikings.

Swift added a left shoulder injury to his ankle issue during last Sunday’s game, and he told reporters after the game he also re-injured his ankle. A less than-100 percent Swift is still not that bad a player, but there’s a line where returns start to be diminished and there was definitely a glimpse of that against Minnesota.

The shoulder injury, deemed a sprain that won’t require surgery via reporting by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, is in line to cost Swift some time. ESPN has called Swift “week to week” with his shoulder sprain.

Swift played with both injuries against the Vikings, as he continues to answer the challenge he received from running backs coach Duce Staley to play through “minor injuries.”

The Lions should shut D’Andre Swift down through the bye week without hesitation

During his Monday press conference, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Swift’s shoulder “could be an issue.” As for holding him out of upcoming games, the door is open for that.

"We’ve thought about that,” Campbell said of the benefits of giving Swift time off to heal up. “That was one of the things I was thinking about last night and this morning. It’s on my mind and on our mind. If you feel like he’s good enough to go, we know what he’s capable of, but not at the expense of him not even being up to 75 percent of himself. Every player has to be at a certain point to be able to produce.”"

The Lions are in a solid position to cover for Swift’s absence. Jamaal Williams is capable of taking on the lead back role, with Craig Reynolds and Justin Jackson behind him. Better to rest one of their best offensive players now, and hopefully have him 100 percent healthy coming out of a Week 6 bye.

As long as played on it, Swift’s ankle was lined up to limit him until the bye week. Add a shoulder issue to the mix now, and the decision to shut him down for Week 4 against the Seahawks and Week 5 against the Patriots is a no-brainer for the Lions.