Lions make inevitable move and trade D’Andre Swift to the Eagles

It was inevitable D’Andre Swift was going to be traded, and he has indeed been sent to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It was inevitable to be happening, and now it has. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Detroit Lions are trading running back D’Andre Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2025 fourth-round pick. The Lions will also move up in the seventh round on Saturday in the deal, trading pick No. 249 for pick No. 219.

Swift was a second-round pick by the Lions out of Georgia in 2020 (No. 35 overall). For all the potential he showed over three seasons in Detroit, he was regularly banged up and often had his workload actively limited.

The idea the Lions could trade Swift is rooted in head coach Dan Campbell’s comments back at the NFL Combine, essentially declaring it was back to square one in terms of a plan to keep the talented running back on the field. It was easy, at least for some people, to read the tea leaves of frustration there.

Lions officially give up on D’Andre Swift by sending him to the Eagles

The evidence the Lions were ready to move on from Swift kept piling up. Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, he was not getting an extension. Then the Lions not only pivoted from Jamaal Williams in free agency, they upgraded to David Montgomery.

Then the final straw came in Thursday night’s first round of the draft. The Lions traded down from No. 6 overall, then they took Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12. There was simply no place for Swift in the backfield anymore, and all trade leverage was effectively gone on Detroit’s end.

Swift is a Philadelphia native, so as much as he could choose a new team the Eagles were surely one he would have picked. And a look at their running back depth chart shows he should have an opportunity in front of him.

-D’Andre Swift
-Rashaad Penny
-Kenneth Gainwell
-Boston Scott
-Trey Sermon

Swift will get a better chance to play and perform with the Eagles, and the Lions free up what had become a backfield logjam after drafting Gibbs. That’s what we call a mutually beneficial deal.