Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell announced early this morning that D’Andre Swift will be ready to go this Sunday.
Swift who showed flashes of brilliance last year looks to improve this year and become more of a bell-cow back and he has all of the tools to do so. Swift is everything teams look for in a running back nowadays. He’s a dual-threat back to go along with his speed and agility. Swift’s biggest problem like any running back the Lions have had since Barry Sanders is can they stay healthy? This is going to be a big year for Swift as he’s expected to be a massive part of the offense this season as the WR core was gutted this past offseason and the only other proven weapon is pro bowl TE T.J Hockenson who will be getting double covered 95% of snaps.
Swift didn’t play in any preseason games or do much in training camp due to a groin injury and there were reports that some coaches were “worried” about the situation. Could that have been a passive-aggressive way to get him going again? Absolutely and I believe that is what this coaching staff was doing. The coaching staff Dan Campbell has assembled is full of former players and if anyone knows how to get players to tick it’s former players.
Don’t expect a massive workload for Swift this Sunday as this is his first game environment of the year so offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn will probably just sprinkle him throughout the game. Lions will need a big game from Jamaal Williams who should be the featured back against the 49ers if they want to escape with a win in Dan Cambell’s first official game as a Head Coach.
