Detroit Would Be Wise To Consider Holding Out D'Andre Swift the Rest Of the Way

Photo Credit: Raj Mehta (USA TODAY Sports)

In what has otherwise been a disaster of a season, the Detroit Lions can at least say they’ve found a couple of long-term pieces of the puzzle. Chief among them is their star running back, D’Andre Swift.

It’s just his second year, but what Swift has already displayed makes it a safe assumption that he will be a crucial piece of Detroit’s rebuild. Back-to-back games of at least 130 rushing yards are just a sliver of who Swift has been in 2021. The sophomore back has shown he is every bit the dynamic talent the Lions hoped they were getting when they drafted him in the second round in 2020. In six games this year, Swift has at least 43 receiving yards. His injury deflates the offense, but the Lions aren’t in a position to rush him back. The risk outweighs the reward.

On Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that Swift could miss “multiple weeks” and that the Lions are taking a cautious approach with the AC joint injury. It is 100% the right way to go.

The worry is that the Lions, still scrambling to avoid another winless season, hurry Swift back, and he causes further harm to his shoulder that could lead to offseason surgery. It’s not worth it to throw Swift back into the gauntlet with the thought that, Well, the offseason is around the corner anyway. Swift is a solution for the offense beyond this year.

Two factors could have the Lions itching to put Swift back in. One is that the offense can’t afford to be any more stale. Right now, the Lions have two good things going for them on offense: Swift and T.J. Hockenson. Missing one of them significantly cuts into the game plan. Detroit doesn’t want the embarrassment of a winless season, and their chances are automatically enhanced with Swift in.

Secondly, the competitive side of a player is never easy to reign in.

As Fowler noted in his report, Swift wants to return “in short order.” This shouldn’t surprise head coach Dan Campbell, and it shouldn’t surprise Lions fans either. The way he plays makes it clear that this guy is a flat-out gamer. But his enthusiasm can’t overshadow Detroit’s plan, which should be that he shouldn’t play unless he can return to the field without any restrictions and any further risk to his shoulder.

It’s tough news for a team as desperate as the Lions. It can feel like they are mailing it in if they take the cautious route with Swift, but that’s not the case. Detroit is doing the smart thing by looking out for the future. And it helps to have a more than serviceable backup.

Jamaal Williams should see an expanded workload. He has shown several times in his career that he can be a one-man wrecking crew in the backfield. Swift is the shiny new toy, but Williams can cause chaos for opposing defenses as well. The drop-off right now from Swift to Williams isn’t drastic, and Campbell plans to lean into that.

“Somebody’s gotta pick up the slack,” Campbell said on Wednesday. “The good news is, we got Jamaal (Williams) back. This will be his third week to get back in the flow a little bit, so certainly we will lean on Jamaal quite a bit. But we’re going to use Godwin (Igwebuike), we’re going to use (Jermar) Jefferson, I mean, that’s part of the plan. They’re all going to be able to play. It’s a little bit by committee, but I think we’re going to see a lot of Jamaal Williams.”

Swift going down with a shoulder injury takes a lot of wind out of Detroit’s sails. The operation will be made worse if they rush him back. Lions fans and the organization are starving for that first victory, but it can’t come at the risk of Swift’s health moving forward. If that means keeping him out the rest of the season, so be it.

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