The Philadelphia Eagles have been looking for someone to take the reigns of the backfield after losing star running back Miles Sanders this offseason. And former Detriot Lions running back D’Andre Swift did just that in Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Eagles traded with the Lions for Swift this offseason, sending a 2025 fourth-round pick to Detroit for the former 2020 second-round pick.
Swift saw minimal action in the Eagles Week 1 win over the New England Patriots, receiving only one rushing attempt, largely taking a backseat to veteran running back Kenneth Gainwell.
Gainwell was ruled out ahead of Thursday’s game with an injury, giving Swift an opportunity to start in his place. And Swift certainly made the most of his chance.
Swift dominated all night thanks to the terrific run blocking of the Eagles offensive line, rushing for a career-high 175 yards on 28 attempts and recorded his first touchdown in Philadelphia.
Swift was always a player with a ton of upside and promise when he was a member of the Lions. But it never quite clicked for him there, and Eagles fans are now hopeful that he can be a huge part of another promising year in Philadelphia.
Swift’s performance is actually the best that we have seen from an Eagles running back in quite some time. His 175 rushing yards are the most of an Eagles running back since LeSean McCoy put up 217 rushing yards in 2013.
McCoy was notably a first-team All-Pro in that 2013 season, so maybe we can see this type of season from Swift if the Eagles continue to feature him as their starting running back for the rest of the year.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.