Detroit Lions RB D’Andre Swift might sit next 2 games to rest shoulder, ankle injuries

Detroit Free Press

With his injuries mounting and his production on the decline, the Detroit Lions are considering giving running back D’Andre Swift time off to rest his various ailments.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday he is considering holding Swift out of games this week against the Seattle Seahawks and next week against the New England Patriots to have him healthy for after the bye.

“We’ve thought about that,” Campbell said. “That was one of the things I was thinking about last night and this morning, so it’s certainly, it’s on my mind, it’s on our mind. If you feel like he’s good enough to go, we know what he’s capable of but not at the expense of him not being even up to 75% of himself.”

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Swift sprained his ankle in the first half of the Lions’ season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, when he ran for a career-high 144 yards on 15 carries and added 31 yards receiving.

The third-year back practiced sparingly the following week, but played through his injury in a Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders. He finished with 87 scrimmage yards that game, but had just five carries as the Lions limited his workload.

On Sunday, after another light week of practice, Swift had seven carries for 31 yards and did not play on the Lions’ final two offensive series in a 28-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He reaggravated his ankle injury at one point in the second half, and suffered a left shoulder injury that NFL Network reported was a sprain.

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Swift sought treatment from the Lions’ medical staff after the game, and used his arm gingerly as he dressed in the locker room. Asked what he needed to get healthy, Swift said “time” was the best antidote.

“But I keep getting better,” he said. “It’s better than last week, so just keep pushing forward, keep getting treatment on it and I’ll be all right.”

While Swift has pushed to play through his injuries the past two weeks at the urging of Lions running backs coach Duce Staley, Campbell said Swift’s shoulder injury is serious enough that it “could potentially” require him to miss time.

If Swift can’t play Sunday, the Lions likely will use a combination of Jamaal Williams, Craig Reynolds and Justin Jackson in their backfield. Williams ran for a team-high 87 yards on 20 carries in Minnesota, and leads the Lions with four touchdowns this season. Reynolds and Jackson have played sparingly on offense the first two games.

“Every player’s got to be at a certain point to be able to produce, and then not to mention the practice,” Campbell said. “Not to be able to practice and get the detail of things, so that’s not fair to Swift, either − to him or to us. So certainly we’re thinking about that as well.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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