6 teams who could make the Lions a trade offer for D’Andre Swift

As the Detroit Lions seem sure to be looking to move him, here are 6 teams who could make a trade offer for D’Andre Swift.

The writing on the wall goes back to early March, when head coach Dan Campbell said this about running back D’Andre Swift.

"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.”"

Campbell was talking about the team’s plan to keep Swift healthy and available, only to watch him not even make it through the season opener without getting banged up. Then he added an ankle injury in Week 3, missed three games had his workload limited in many other games.

The signing of David Montgomery, a more complete back than the departed Jamaal Williams, confirmed Swift is no longer part of any sort of plans for the Lions.

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, remember he was an early second-round pick in 2020, Swift is not getting a contract extension from the Lions. And after the move to draft Jahmyr Gibbs No. 12 overall on Thursday night, it feels like Swift is as good as gone at some point between now and Week 1. But the Lions also quickly gave away any trade leverage they may have even had by taking a running back in the first round.

Day 3 of the draft on Saturday may bring a deal, but it’s obviously not a hard deadline. It’s a bit interesting the Lions enter the day with just two picks now in the final four rounds of the draft now, as a trade for Swift may add one to the docket.

The Lions may be willing to take about anything to remove Swift from their backfield logjam, and that’s what they’re left with taking at this point. But any lingering perception of his upside may bolster the draft pick return, and even if he can’t hold up as a lead back he can add value to someone’s offense.

Here are six teams who could rid the Lions of their D’Andre Swift headache with a trade offer they’d take.

6 teams who could make the Lions a trade offer for D’Andre Swift

6. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings made their running back priorities clear when the brought Alexander Mattison back on a two-year deal and have been non-committal about Dalvin Cook’s immediate future. Trade rumors linger around Cook, and there’s a faint possibility the Vikings eventually just cut him for the cap relief. In any case, he’s gone if everything we can read into from in the Vikings’ building and has been reported is to be believed.

Mattison has limitations as a pass catcher, though that may be roote in simply not getting much opportunity more than his lack of ability in that area. Swift would be able to fill that void as a pass catching back, which would hypothetically be left behind by Cook’s departure. While Mattison does the work of a lead back, which he has shown he can do capably when he’s had a chance and the Vikings seem to buying into the idea he can do on a more regular basis, Swift would be a fit as another weapon in an offense that could certainly use them.

Doing business within the division is an overrated and outdated fear. If the Vikings want Swift, and maybe they’d just even part with a 2024 draft pick, a deal could get done.

5. Philadelphia Eagles

All the draft noise linking Bijan Robinson to the Eagles with the 10th overall pick was just that, and it became moot point anyway when the Atlanta Falcons took the top running back in this year’s draft class at No. 8.

The Eagles lost last year’s leading rusher Miles Sanders to the Carolina Panthers in free agency, and the oft-injured (to put it mildly) Rashaad Penny was signed to take his place on the depth chart. With Penny on the depth chart is Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott. Gainwell certainly has the most upside of that trio, but how he’d hold up as a lead back remains a question.

The Eagles are in a win-now mode after a Super Bowl appearance, and any depth holes on the roster that can be shored up are certainly on general manager Howie Roseman’s radar. A Day 3 draft pick may accomplish the same thing a trade for Swift would in that regard, as we enter the final day of the draft as of this writing. But the cost wouldn’t be high (in trade compensation or one year of pay) to take a flier on Swift and add a piece to the Philadelphia backfield.

For what it’s worth, more in terms of his agent possibly working with the Lions to find him a new team as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler suggested, Swift is a Philadelphia native.

4. Cleveland Browns

Nick Chubb is the unquestioned lead back in Cleveland, but the depth behind him has become an increasing question mark. If they were going to re-sign Kareem Hunt they would have done it by now, and D’Ernest Johnson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. That leaves Jerome second-year 2022 fifth-round pick Jerome Ford as the current No. 2 on the depth chart.

Deshaun Watson’s first full season with the Browns will naturally carry higher expectations. Swift would be an interesting weapon to add to their offense, and he’d be an ideal complement to Chubb.

3. Denver Broncos

The Broncos have a running back question, as Javonte Williams’ return timeline from a torn ACL last season has been at times vague and almost troubling. Samaje Perine was a shrewd free agent signing, but he’s not necessarily a lead back. If Day 3 of the draft doesn’t line up to yield a running back for them, a trade for Swift could quickly land on the radar.

Sean Payton won’t go into his first season as the Broncos’ head coach, trying to compete with the high-powered offenses in the AFC West, with only Perine as a healthy, experienced running back. A dual threat like Swift looks like a nice fit.

2. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys were also tied strongly to Bijan Robinson in the first round of the draft, before never coming close to having the chance to draft him. So right now, barring any additions on the last day of the draft or a move after the draft, and with the departure of Ezekiel Elliott of course, it’s Tony Pollard (coming off a broken leg, on the franchise tag), Ronald Jones, Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle on Dallas’ running back depth chart right now.

Dallas may not want to take a 4th-7th round flier on a running back, leaving them to consider who’s available on the free agent or trade market. Being consistently in a win-now mode pushes the conversation toward options with experience and potential. Pollard’s injury recovery adds a bit of urgency to the matter, in terms of having a better fallback option.

Swift and Pollard have an overlapping skill set. But as Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy takes over the offense from the departed Kellen Moore (Packers fans just cringed at that notion from afar), he has professed a desire to run the ball more as a winning formula. So having two capable backs is definitely on the radar, and Swift is definitely a better option than Jones.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

It has seemed to be a matter of when, not if, the Bengals part ways with Joe Mixon, one way (a trade) or the other (releasing him) if he won’ take a pay cut. Some off-field issues that have come up to add a layer to things too. The loss of Samaje Perine in free agency, even with a possible Day 3 draft pick, would leave the depth chart very barren when or if Mixon is gone.

But Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan recently, on the Locked On Bengals podcast, noted the idea of finding someone to complement Mixon, as Perine did.

"At this point it’s it’s always going to be what complements Mixon for us,” “We have a runner, you know we have a first and second down style back. And so you try to find things that complement that, and that’s going to be things in the passing game…So you really want more of an all-around back that’s a little bit leaner in the past protection and pass game quite a bit because that’s where we’re light in our running back room makeup at this point.”"

Swift can certainly fill the role Perine left behind, and Callahan described. For a team trying to win the Super Bowl like the Bengals are, even as a one-year flier, it makes sense to add someone with experience. The cost won’t be high, and a description of Swift from Chris Roling of Bengals Wire makes a lot of sense.

"Swift has yet to play a full season in the NFL due to injuries, but he’s sort of a discount Austin Ekeler idea who could bring the same element to the backfield at a much cheaper cost"