Should Eagles GM Howie Roseman start thinking about re-signing D’Andre Swift? – NBC Sports Philadelphia

The topic was running backs. 

It was this past summer during training camp, and I told Howie Roseman I had done some research about NFL teams and running back contracts.

With help from the Spotrac database, I learned that since Roseman was reinstated as general manager in 2016, the Eagles had allocated the second-fewest salary cap dollars to running backs among all NFL teams.

After asking what team had spent less (Washington), he said this: “I promise, we are not philosophically opposed to re-signing a running back,” Roseman said. “We’ve given running backs second contracts in the past. We re-signed Shady.”

I reminded him that was in 2014. Nine years ago.

“But we did do it,” he said. “And if we believe it’s the right thing to do, we’ll do it again.”

And now? It just may be time to do it again.

Let’s talk about D’Andre Swift.

The Eagles acquired Swift from the Lions on Day 2 of the draft in April along with a 7^th-round pick in exchange for a 4^th-round pick in 2025 and a 7^th-round pick in this year’s draft that became Moro Ojomo.

And he’s been phenomenal.

It’s only been five games – four, really, since he barely played in the opener – but Swift is 3^rdin the NFL in rushing yards, 5^th in scrimmage yards, 2^nd in yards per carry, 1^st in rushing success rate and 8^th in catches among running backs.

While Miles Sanders averages 38 rushing yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry for the winless Panthers on a four-year, $25.4 million contract, Swift is averaging 87 rushing yards and 5.7 yards per game for the unbeaten Eagles on the final year of his rookie contract, which pays him $1.77 million. 

What happens next year? If the Eagles do what they’ve done with every other running back since LeSean McCoy nearly a decade ago, they’ll let Swift leave in free agency and replace him either with Kenny Gainwell – who’s signed through 2024 – or a mid-round draft pick or inexpensive veteran.

And let’s be honest, with this offensive line, running backs are going to look really good. That’s a big reason Sanders dropped from 5.0 yards per carry and 65 yards per game in four years with the Eagles to 3.1 and 38 with the Panthers. And that’s why you can understand if Roseman believes running backs are interchangeable and it doesn’t make sense to pay Swift. The Eagles are always going to prioritize both lines, receiver and corner along with quarterback because that’s what all the analytics say. 

And it’s worked for them. That roster construction philosophy is one of the reasons they’re always good.

But … Swift may be different. I’m pretty sure he is different.

The main reasons teams don’t sign running backs to second contracts or big-money deals are because they have a short shelf life, they generally start losing their effectiveness somewhere around 27 year old and they can’t stay healthy.

Swift?

First of all, he’s only 24, and if you’re going to pay a running back, you want him to be a guy who’s young and has a better chance to remain productive for a few more years. 

But the biggest reason Swift still has tremendous value is that he’s never gotten a huge workload. During his three years in Detroit, he had 364 carries and 520 touches.. That’s 9.1 carries per game and 13 touches per game. He ranked 31^st in the league in carries and 24^th in touches during that span, and those are numbers that tell you he’s probably got a lot of good football left.  

Even in college – and GMs look at that because the notion is that running backs only have X number of healthy carries in their body – he didn’t have a ton of wear and tear, averaging about 10 carries and 12 touches per game in his three years in Athens.

Heck, it’s not a stretch to think that one of the reasons the Eagles mix in Kenny Gainwell so much is to keep Swift healthy and not overused, not just for this year but for the future. Howie thinks that way.

And while he has missed some games in the NFL – three in 2020, four in 2021, three in 2022 – that’s not unusual for running backs, and he’s never had anything close to a season-ending injury.

It’s easy to take Swift for granted since he’s out there surrounded by a couple superstar receivers, an elite quarterback, a star-studded offensive line and a top-5 tight end. But he’s only got 32 fewer scrimmage yards than A.J. Brown and at least so far more than Dallas Goedert and DeVonta Smith combined.

But he’s shown in the limited time he’s been here that what we all saw in Detroit only hinted at the kind of player he can be. 

He’s a stud.

He’s got tremendous vision. He’s got another gear when he gets to the second level. He’s a terrific receiver. And he’s clutch – as shown by his NFL-best 6.2 rushing average in the fourth quarter this year.

So back to the operative question: Should Howie try to keep him?

It’s too early to definitively answer that. We need to see him maintain this level of production and stay healthy. The dropoff we saw with Sanders late last year may have foreshadowed the struggles he’s having now. With running backs, you have to watch out for that. There’s a reason running backs don’t get paid. They just don’t stay very good very long.

But if Swift keeps doing what he’s been doing – and he’s been one of the biggest surprises on this 5-0 team – it’s a fair question.

I can’t imagine Roseman ever giving a running back a contract like the Panthers gave Sanders, but if you can keep Swift for something like $9 ½ to $10 million over two years? Then he gets paid more than most running backs and more than he’s ever made, the Eagles keep one of their best offensive players in Philly for two more years, he gets to stay in his hometown, and he’ll be 26 or younger for about 99 percent of the deal. 

If his level of play declines, the Eagles won’t be on the hook for a ton of salary cap. And if he turns into a superstar, he can hit free agency again at almost the same age Sanders was this past spring if he out-performs the Eagles’ ability or desire to re-sign him.

There are no guarantees when it comes to running backs. Injuries, missed games and declining production are inevitable. It’s just a matter of when. And it’s up to Roseman to figure out how much to gamble that it won’t happen soon.

The Swift we’ve seen the last month is too talented to just let go because that’s your policy. There are exceptions to every rule, and at least so far Swift sure looks like one of them.