The Eagles Shouldn’t Bring Back D’Andre Swift Next Season
D’Andre Swift had a decent season last year. He finished 5th in rushing yards, and 17th in yards per carry. That went with 5 TDS, which is a decent number considering how anytime the Eagles got to the 1-yard line, they just used the Tush Push, vulturing most of Swift’s opportunities. Which makes saying this tough, but the Eagles should not bring him back in 2024.
Swift will likely get somewhere in the range of a 4-year, $22 million contract. He won’t break the bank, because RBs rarely if ever break the bank anymore. Miles Sanders coming off his big year with the Eagles only got a 4-year $24.5 deal. But even investing that much into Swift would be a mistake.
For one, his numbers are inflated by playing behind the best run-blocking O-lines in the leagues. 690 of his yards came before contact. The 3rd most in the league. He was 35th among 38 qualified RBs in yards after contact per attempt. He has the speed and skill to hit the holes and get big chunks when plays are well-blocked. But he rarely ever made things happen on his own. That is why his numbers dipped while Cam Jurgens was out and the O-Line play suffered for a few weeks.
They can find someone cheaper who will give them similar production. That is what D’Andre Swift was in the first place. A cheaper replacement for Miles Sanders with him set to be paid. We saw what Sanders did once he didn’t have the Eagles O-Line blocking for him. I am not saying Swift will have a similar drop-off, but he was very reliant on that O-Line in 2023. There are always decent RBs available on day 3 of the draft. There are often cheap RBs available either by trade or free agency. They can get the same or similar production out of Swift, without the cost. And if you are willing to invest, a 2nd round pick can get you an elite RB that will be cheap for 4 seasons.
So as much as I like Swift, the Eagles should not bring him back. Because the Eagles’ elite running game these past 2 seasons has far less to do with the RBs getting the ball and far more to do with the people making the blocks. Kenny Gainwell, who Eagles fans often loathed seeing get the ball, averaged only .2 yards per carry less than Swift. Landon Johnson and Jordan Mailata were 1 and 2 in terms of run block win rate among OTs. Landon Dickerson was number 1 among interior linemen. That is the real reason why the Eagles had a 1000-yard RB for the 2nd straight season.
There is no reason to attach yourself to an RB long-term. Only a few RBs, like Christian McCaffrey, are worth that type of investment at this point. Especially not when the metrics say that a replacement-level RB will net you similar production to what Swift gave you last season. The Eagles did the right thing by letting Miles Sanders walk last season. Letting D’Andre Swift walk this season will also be the right thing to do.
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Ranking All Of The Eagles Head Coaches Since 1970
8- Rick Kotite- 1991-1994 (36-28)
Kotite is literally the standard for bad coaching in both Philly and New York. When it started to fall apart for Doug Pederson, and now Nick Sirianni, Kotite is who people compare them to.
Yes he won a playoff game. But after that, it was a disaster. He started out 1994 7-2, and the future seemed bright. Then he imploded, lost the last 7 games of the season, and finished last in the NFC East. New owner Jeffrey Lurie fired him, and that was it for Kotite in Philly. It got no better for him in his next job with the Jets.
7- Chip Kelly- 2013-2015 26-11
No head coach had a better start to their career than Chip Kelly. His first season had Eagles fans worshipping him. We convinced ourselves he was a genius who was going to change the game. Then the league adjusted to his scheme, and he had no answers. After getting them to the playoffs in year 1, he never got back and got fired before the end of year 3.
What makes him more hated, is how he pushed out talented players. They bled talent all 3 seasons he was there. Desean Jackson has a career year, he gets cut for nothing. LeSean McCoy gets traded a year later. His style and attitude wore people out fast. He got one more job with the 49ers after the Eagles fired him. They fired him after a single season. He is just lucky Rich Kotite exists or he would be lower on this list.
