Getty D'Andre Swift quiets the crowd after a score in Tennessee.
The stage seems to have been cleared for D’Andre Swift to be the Detroit Lions’ feature back this season, but that news may have taken a slight hit with an interesting free agency
Detroit hosted former NFL All-Pro Todd Gurley to a visit on Thursday, and if Gurley were to come into the mix, that would be three solid running backs the team would have in the stable with the inclusion of Jamaal Williams. Additionally, the Lions also have 2021 draft pick Jermar Jefferson.
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Swift, however, isn’t sweating that potential news if it comes in the days ahead. As he explained to the media, he welcomes Gurley coming into the mix because of the potential for good, honest competition that he would bring to the roster.
D’Andre Swift saw Todd Gurley at the Lions facility. He’d welcome the fellow Georgia RB to Detroit for his experience and the competition.
He said:
“A lot of knowledge, experience. I’d be happy if he came here as well. I just want to compete with these guys. The stuff he’s done in this league, being able to compete with him if he were to come here. I love competition.”
That’s the right mindset for a person like Swift to have, especially as the Lions appear set to have as many different options at the position. It doesn’t hurt that Gurley and Swift share a common alma mater in the University of Georgia which could help ease the transition as well. Add it all up and the move could make sense for Gurley, who could join Anthony Lynn as well as Jared Goff in Detroit.
Should it happen, it’s nice to hear that Swift wouldn’t be pouting whatsoever, even if some of his fantasy football fans might be doing so.
Swift 2020 Stats
After watching him run at times last season, it’s clear that Swift doesn’t have much to fear himself even if the team added some competition. Coming into the league as a rookie, Swift has seen the ball plenty with the Lions and he has done a nice job to deliver for the most part when his number has been called. 422 yards and 7 touchdowns as a rookie was a nice start to the career for Swift, and if anything, he has proven he can be elusive and be the lead dog for the team’s backfield situation moving forward.
Whether or not Swift will be that lead dog has been a topic of debate this offseason, but it’s clear that the team plans to use him a lot next season no matter who else they have in the room.
Lions Running Back Depth Already Strong
It’s been a wild offseason in Detroit for running backs. Detroit just released Kerryon Johnson this month, which was a mild surprise only because of the fact that Johnson was established and a solid pass protector. Other than that, there was a question of where his snaps were going to come from in 2021. The Lions signed Jamaal Williams and have D’Andre Swift on the roster, who many believe is trending toward being a future star. Bringing Jermar Jackson into the mix in the draft likely only complicated matters more for the Lions, who have a ton of depth suddenly at running back. Johnson was likely never going to see the big role that was expected in Detroit, thus the team decided to pull the plug and give Johnson a chance at a fresh start somewhere else.
Would these issues prevent a Gurley signing? That’s for the running back himself to decide, but one thing he can count on is support from the team’s current young running back if the move does end up taking place.