Why Eagles’ Must Keep ‘Perfect Fit’ Impending Free Agent

Getty Images Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys tackles D'Andre Swift #0 of the Philadelphia Eagles. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

General manager Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles have historically avoided paying a premium for running backs, but that might be about to change.

After arriving in Philadelphia following a trade during the 2023 NFL Draft, D’Andre Swift proved to be exactly the kind of dual-threat running back the Eagles needed. Swift rushed for 1,049 yards with five touchdowns, while adding 39 receptions for 214 yards and another score during his first season in an Eagles uniform.

Now, Swift is set to become an unrestricted free agent, but The 33rd Team makes a compelling case that Swift is the one free agent that the Eagles can’t afford to lose.

“The Philadelphia Eagles,” Marcus Mosher writes. “Have built an offensive system that allows just about any running back to be productive, but D’Andre Swift is a perfect fit in Philadelphia.

“Swift had a career year in 2023, totaling 1,263 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns on 268 touches. It won’t be all that expensive for him to return in 2024 — look for the Eagles to bring him back on a short deal.”

Prior to trading a 2025 fourth-round pick and swapping seventh-round selections in 2023 with the Detroit Lions, the Eagles leaned heavily on former second-round draft pick Miles Sanders, and former fifth-round pick Kenneth Gainwell shouldering the bulk of the load at running back in recent years.

The Eagles opted not to re-sign Sanders in 2023, with the 26-year-old ultimately signing a four-year contract worth $24.5 million with the Carolina Panthers.

Even after surpassing 1,200 yards from scrimmage, it remains to be seen if the Eagles will make a financial commitment at running back significant enough to keep Swift in Philadelphia.

D’Andre Swift Market Value

Whether it is with the Eagles, or elsewhere, Swift appears primed to cash in as he enters his fifth NFL season.

According to Spotrac, Swift could be in line for a four-year contract worth approximately $27.1 million, averaging $6.7 million AAV, in free agency this offseason. If that’s the type of contract Swift fetches, he would become the eighth-highest paid running back in the NFL.

Through the first four seasons of his career, Swift has logged 593 carries for 2,729 yards with 23 touchdowns, while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. But, is coming off a 229-carry campaign for the Eagles, representing the most significant workload of his career.

At a time when running backs have never been valued less, and found it difficult to find top-dollar on the open-market, it will be interesting to see how strong his market becomes after the most carries in a single season in his career.

Who are Eagles’ Options to Potentially Replace D’Andre swift?

If Roseman and the Eagles stick to form, and follow the league-wide trend of not overpaying for a running back, Philadelphia could look to the middle rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft if Swift moves on.

Two names to watch as potential second-round picks at running back, for the Eagles, could be Texas’ Jonathon Brooks or Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright. Pro Football Focus lists both Brooks and Wright as potential second-round picks on the outlet’s latest big board.

Brooks, 6-foot and 207 pounds averaged 6.1 yards per carry while rushing for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns as a Sophomore in the Longhorns’ backfield. He also flashed as a receiver, catching 25 passes for 286 yards and another score.

Meanwhile, Wright averaged 7.4 yards per carry while capping his junior season with 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. Across four seasons in Knoxville, Wright produced 2,468 yards from scrimmage with 18 touchdowns.

The Eagles enter the offseason with approximately $20.2 million in cap space, so what the backfield winds up looking like in 2024 could come down to how the organization values the position against other needs on the roster.