After the Lions selected Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, D’Andre Swift’s days in Detroit were numbered. The former Georgia Bulldogs running back will be headed home to his native Philadelphia.
After a few days of fielding trade offers, the Lions agreed to trade Swift to the Eagles for a 2025 fourth-round pick, according to NFL Network. The two teams also decided to swap seventh-round picks, with Detroit moving up 30 spots in the final round.
You could sense this move was coming after Detroit GM Brad Holmes commented on Swift’s future with the team on Thursday:
“Yeah, I mean, D’Andre, he’s still on our roster,” Holmes said, via The Athletic’s Colton Pouncey. “He’s still part of our team. He’s still under contract with us. He’s a dynamic football player. So, (the Gibbs pick) hasn’t changed the math there yet, but, you know, it is early.”
Playing in 14 games with Detroit last season, the 24-year-old Swift had 542 rushing yards on 99 carries (5.5 yards/per attempt) with five rushing touchdowns.
Those in the NFL world reacted to the blockbuster trade on social media:
D’Andre Swift comes home! At St. Joe’s Prep, Swift won three state championships and finished his career with 4,273 rushing yards and 54 touchdowns on 563 carries – 7.6 yards per carry: Ted Silary
Plus, he's another Bulldog — the fifth one to join the Eagles since Thursday. pic.twitter.com/hP7yveYwVN
— Tom Ignudo (@TomIgnudo) April 29, 2023
As if this needed explaining at this point, Swift went to Georgia. https://t.co/mSYzIj3Htt
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) April 29, 2023
Also went to Georgia 😂 https://t.co/nV2ZEWNPUW
— Gayle Saunders (@EagleSessions) April 29, 2023
Howies a bad man lol https://t.co/aXA2Mw3zuO
— Dunphy215 (@dunphy215) April 29, 2023
Like this move. High upside on a unit that needs to find someone special https://t.co/SohosoXM2d
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) April 29, 2023
Eagles GM, Howie Roseman, separates himself from every other GM during the draft. Last year it was AJ Brown, who catapulted the eagles receiving room. This year adding Swift via trade to what’s already been an elite draft. The eagles roster will again be top tier. https://t.co/OyRK6MpzHV
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) April 29, 2023
https://twitter.com/jontweetssports/status/1652361701688324100?s=20
The #Eagles do not care man. They wanna be loaded at every position https://t.co/NYDEXKmsuK
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) April 29, 2023
Legally you are not allowed to play for the Philadelphia Eagles unless you went to Georgia. https://t.co/ULnpAP5kXj
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) April 29, 2023
Just when you thought Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman couldn’t get more impressive, he pulled off another significant trade. Swift is now the fourth former Georgia Bulldogs star to be added to the fold this weekend, joining Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Kelee Ringo.
Swift will join a running back depth chart in Philadelphia that includes Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell, and Trey Sermon.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.