D’Andre Swift was drafted in the 2020 draft with the 35th overall pick, Swift was drafted to be a 3rd down running back who had the chops to be a great receiver out of the backfield and the ability to move through the tackles fluidly. When Swift has been on the field he has done just that and more. The keyword in that sentence is when. Swift hasn’t played a full season yet in his career and just only five games last year, to make matters worse Swift has only appeared in five games, three of those being extremely limited. Swift is only 23 but injuries have held him back from being the player Lions fans know that he can be. With the type of player, swift is he is going to be asking for a hefty extension going into his contract year which begs the question. Should the Lions pay D’Andre Swift?
The Lions have the rest of this season and next to decide whether they want to pay Swift. A franchise tag is an option but we all hope that is not the case. Swift could be asking for upwards of 12 million dollars annually, a price tag that would not be ideal considering Swift’s health situation. Paying that much for a running back has almost never worked out according to history and running backs are easily replaceable. The Lions have 5 picks inside the top 65 in this upcoming draft so it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Lions could use one of those picks on a mid-round running back as sort of an insurance policy to Swift.
Swift is a very dynamic player when healthy but his health concerns are just too big and the odds he stays productive much longer than his rookie deal are low. So with that said there is no way I would resign Swift unless it was some sort of team-friendly deal with an easy buy out if it doesn’t pan out. The Lions can select a running back in this year’s draft or next that wouldn’t be able to replicate Swifts’ production necessarily but certainly would be able to get the job done.
