D’Andre Swift fell short of a full-on breakout in 2021, but a former teammate has joined the party in seeing his massive potential.
In what amounted to 10 games of significant work this past season, Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage (1,069) and was one of few backs in the league with over 150 carries and 60 catches.
Swift missed four, or really practically five games, with a shoulder injury and he totaled 17 touches over the final two games of the season when he returned to action. Looking toward his third season, his potential remains huge and to some degree untapped.
Early this week at the Super Bowl in Los Angeles, Lions Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders praised Swift. Another all-time great running back with a Lions tie, with a bust in Canton in his future, had good things to say about Swift as well.
Adrian Peterson says ‘sky is the limit’ for D’Andre Swift
Adrian Peterson, who played for the Lions in 2020, spoke with the Lions’ website on Super Bowl Radio Row Thursday and talked about Swift.
I think the sky’s the limit for him,” “He’s one of those backs that’s agile, and he runs the ball really hard. He’s physical. You can do so much with him. He’s a dynamic player. The fact that he runs the ball so hard, too, I feel like that kind of puts him on a different level when you’re talking about these dynamic backs.”
He’s one of those guys, he likes to be physical,” Peterson said of his former teammate. “That mindset like, ‘Hey, you’re not going to just hit me, I’m going to ram you, I’m going to initiate the contact.’ He’s looking for it, too.
In Week 5 this season against the Minnesota Vikings, Swift caught a pass and took the opportunity to lower his pads and deliver a blow to Vikings cornerback Bashaud Breeland–winning the “Angry Runs” scepter on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” that week. Peterson probably had that play on his mind when he said Swift is looking for contact.
A huge thing for Swift next season will be staying healthy. Finding the balance of when to assertively initiate contact and when to maybe dial it back is something that can come with the benefit of experience, but Peterson has made it clear he’s among the believers in Swift.