Getty D'Andre Swift quiets the crowd in Minnesota during a 2021 game.
Most figure the Detroit Lions couldn’t be any worse offensively in 2022 than they were in 2021 given some of the troubles that played out, and the team will hopefully see that become the case given plenty of healthy returns.
Not only will the team be getting back key figures in the trenches like center Frank Ragnow, but weaponry as well, with tight end T.J. Hockenson, running back D’Andre Swift and wideout Quintez Cephus all expected to be back completely healthy. With that in mind, it might not be a shock at all to think much better things will be on the horizon this year.
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Swift himself already sees the potential for a big season, especially with regards to his own game. As he explained to reporters on Thursday, April 21 including Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, he is already thinking about what it will be like working with Detroit’s solid group daily.
I asked D’Andre Swift if he ever lets himself think about what it’s going to be like to run behind this offensive line. He started smiling before I could even finish the question. “That thought crosses my mind at least once a day.”
“I asked D’Andre Swift if he ever lets himself think about what it’s going to be like to run behind this offensive line. He started smiling before I could even finish the question. “That thought crosses my mind at least once a day,” Twentyman explained in a tweet after listening to Swift speak.
Safe to say it isn’t just fans dreaming about what Swift will look like running behind the revved-up offensive line, but the player himself. It’s a long way until August, so for now, these thoughts will simply have to sustain Detroit fans.
Jonah Jackson, Ragnow Predict Lions Offensive Line to Star
The key to getting Swift a big season? Having the team’s offensive line be healthy and dominant up font. Ragnow as well as fellow lineman Jonah Jackson had a direct way of stating their expectations. As Jackson told the media, he thinks Detroit’s group will be coming for the number one spot this season. That is to say, he thinks the team can be the best in the league up front on offense.
G Jonah Jackson on potential of Detroit’s O-line: “I know we can be the best in the league.”
“G Jonah Jackson on potential of Detroit’s O-line: “I know we can be the best in the league,” Jackson said as Twentyman’s tweet showed.
Ragnow echoed that sentiment with one of his own beautiful one-liners:
Ragnow talking about the Lions O-line if they can stay healthy and all play together this year: “We can be pretty dang good.”
“Ragnow talking about the Lions O-line if they can stay healthy and all play together this year: “We can be pretty dang good,” the lineman said according to Twentyman’s tweet.
It might be a bold statement by these players for some, but it shows the confidence the Lions have in themselves to start the year, and with good reason. The Lions have a pair of solid tackles in Decker and Sewell, an elite center in Ragnow, a Pro Bowl guard in Jackson and a player who had a very strong bounce-back 2021 season in Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Along with the depth the team has found in the likes of Evan Brown, Ryan McCollum, Matt Nelson and Tommy Kraemer, there is no reason this can’t be the case.
Swift already seems to know that he could be primed for big things running behind this confident group, and the thought seems to excite him already.
Health Will Become Most Important Factor for Swift
Whether or not Swift stars for Detroit next season behind the team’s front may depend a lot on his ability to stay healthy in the short and long term. Injuries have been an unfortunate part of his story the first few seasons in the league, and that continued in 2021 with the shoulder ailment that held him out until the last few weeks of the year. The good news for Lions fans is that Swift got back on the field to finish out the season, and was able to finish it strong against Seattle and Green Bay in the season’s final pair of games. Finding a way to keep Swift healthy and fresh to keep making this kind of impact has to be on the minds of the Lions’ brass into the offseason. Quite possibly, health is the only thing that might hold Swift back at this point from becoming great, both in his own case and that of the offensive line.
If the Lions and Swift can both manage to get a little luck, the team could cash in as soon as this season. Clearly, Swift is already dreaming of what the results could look like on the field.
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