6 teams who could make Lions an offer they shouldn’t refuse for D’Andre Swift

2. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons were one of the run-heaviest offenses in the NFL last season, as you’d tend to be with Marcus Mariota as your starting quarterback for much of the season. While Tyler Allgeier showed plenty of promise, general manager Terry Fontenot expressed a desire to keep adding to the running back stable.

"Man, he’s (Allgeier) a good player, (but) you always need multiple at that position,” Fontenot said. “I think having one running back and just carrying the ball all the time, I think that’s kind of rare and unique for somebody. You need to have multiple running backs to preserve their career to take care of them."

No matter what the Falcons do at quarterback this offseason, it’s hard to see them straying far from a run-heavy offensive approach next season. So the concept of having multiple capable backs is not a stretch.

Swift has shown he can’t hold up if given a heavy workload all the time. Allgeier would and should stlil be the No. 1 back next season, and Cordarrelle Patterson is under contract. But Swift can at least offer the Falcons something interesting as a passing game weapon.

1. Houston Texans

Dameon Pierce proved to be a keeper as a rookie last year, with 939 rushing yards in 13 games before an ankle injury ended his season early. While he wasn’t a dud as a pass catcher (30 receptions), the Texans can’t be too choosy when it comes to adding talent to their team and Swift might be a fit.

In terms of potential draft pick return, with 11 total picks and five of the top-73 picks in April’s draft (including two third-rounders), the Texans might be the Lions’ best potential trade partner in an offseason deal for Swift.