It’s not all that surprising, but other teams are rumored to be calling the Detroit Lions about running back D’Andre Swift.
The tea leaves have not been hard to read. At the NFL Combine, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell reflected some frustration with how things went with running back D’Andre Swift health-wise last season.
"We tried to do that last year. We tried to take care of him in camp….We thought we had a recipe going into the year, and it didn’t work out,…We’re going to start all over from scratch again. Let’s find another way to see if we can help him stay on the field, you know? I already know he’s doing that for himself, so we’ve got to do that on our end. What can we do better by him? Can we? Because he’s too talented. He’s too talented to not have out there. He’s an explosive athlete.”"
It was not ridiculous to think the Lions would entertain trading Swift, before or after Campbell’s comments in Indianapolis. When Jamaal Williams was not coming back in free agency, the pivot to David Montgomery was a notable one. It was also a casual referendum on what the Lions think of Swift.
NFL trade rumors: Teams calling the Detroit Lions about D’Andre Swift?
Tuesday morning, Charlie Campbell of Walter Football dropped some nuggets.
Per team sources
— Charlie Campbell (@DraftCampbell) April 25, 2023
- Teams have called the Lions about trading for D'Andre Swift
- Coaches moved Peter Skoronski lower on some draft boards
- Giants more likely to go WR over TE
- Early in process, Bucs liked Michael Mayer & Anthony Richardson https://t.co/iFLVWI5dWc
"One player to watch this year is Lions running back D’Andre Swift. Teams have been calling Detroit to see if Swift is available after the franchise signed David Montgomery in free agency. Swift has played really well for Detroit when on the field, but has had a hard time staying healthy. Swift is in the last year of his contract, so teams probably won’t be willing to give up anything more than a mid-round pick. Swift will be an interesting player to monitor because some teams are interested in making a deal for the fourth-year pro."
Campbell had another Lions-related nugget saying the Philadelphia Eagles are looking to trade up from No. 10 overall into the 6-8 range to get Jalen Carter.
Per team sources:
— Charlie Campbell (@DraftCampbell) April 24, 2023
- Eagles are calling about trading up from 10 in the 6-8 range for Jalen Carter
- Eagles like Van Ness
- Texans love Bijan
- Sam LaPorta hurt by medical
- Multiple teams medically flunked Darnell Washington & dropped him off their board https://t.co/lhEKBfBfpP
So could Swift be traded during the draft? Maybe even before, or after the draft? Again, it’s been easy to suggest it and teams are apparently calling to add teeth to the idea the Lions will get an offer they shouldn’t refuse.