*Check out the full 2024 offseason guide for insight on other coaching and roster moves for the Eagles.*
D’Andre Swift enjoyed a career year in Philadelphia. He had by far the most rushing yards and most touches in his career and earned a Pro Bowl selection. He now hits the free agent market and is looking to capitalize on his stellar season.
The Eagles don’t like to spend much of their resources on running back. But let’s take a look at the free agent market and draft class to see if bringing Swift back makes sense.
AVAILABLE BACKS
This is a strong crop of free agents running backs. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, D’Andre Swift and Tony Pollard headline this group. Nick Chubb is a strong candidate to get cut, and while he is coming off a major knee injury, he’s still going to garner interest. Austin Ekeler is in this class as well, but he looked like he was running in molasses this past season.
This class also has some good secondary options as well. Zack Moss had a strong season filling in for Jonathan Taylor. Devin Singletary was a surprising bell cow back for the Texans this season, though he’s probably best in a rotation. Antonio Gibson had a strong rookie season, but ultimately became the second back in Washington. Still, he is only 25 and is a big, explosive back with receiving chops. A.J. Dillon is a big back that can grind out tough runs inside.
In addition to that, Joe Mixon, Aaron Jones, Alvin Kamara, Raheem Mostert and James Conner are candidates to get cut, though their teams won’t necessarily need to cut them.
If the Eagles want to upgrade the position via free agency, they have options.
DRAFT PROSPECTS
Unfortunately, the 2024 running back draft class doesn’t appear to be very strong. You’ll be hard to find a draft analyst that has a running back with a top 50 grade in this class. Jonathan Cooper from Texas is probably the best all around back in the group, but he tore his ACL in November. That might scare some teams off of him.
This class has a lot of big grinders, from Blake Corum, to Trey Benson, to Audric Estime to the 245-pound Braelon Allen.
Bucky Irving is an explosive and versatile back, but he’s under 200lbs. There isn’t a Bijan Robinson, or a Jahmyr Gibbs or a Breece Hall in this class. Those running back classes were much deeper than this one as well. There’s likely going to be several running backs that end up getting a lot of playing time as part of a rotation, but there’s no obvious player likely to become a high end back.
RUNNING BACK NEEDY TEAMS
How much the big name free agent running backs are paid is going to be influenced by the number of teams that need to find lead running backs. I’ve gone through every team’s depth charts and narrowed down the list eight teams:
- Carolina Panther
- Dallas Cowboys
- Houston Texans
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Minnesota Vikings
- New York Giants
- Baltimore Ravens
- Philadelphia Eagles
Of those teams, I’m not sure the Ravens feel they need to go after a top back due to having the explosive Keaton Mitchell. I wouldn’t be surprised if they go the Detroit Lions route, where they have David Montgomery taking the bulk of the tough, inside runs, while Jahmyr Gibbs gets the outside zone and perimeter hitting plays. They can find that guy in the draft.
The Cowboys and Chargers need lead backs, but they’re also significantly over the cap limit and can’t really afford to spend up at running back. I imagine they’ll go through the draft and/or cheap free agent market to fill those needs.
The Houston Texans have a lot of cap space (currently over $71M), so they’re in a prime position to go after Saquon or Josh Jacobs. It was also evident in their playoff game against the Ravens that they need to develop a better rushing attack.
The four remaining teams each have a solid amount of cap space when they enter free agency. That includes the Eagles. With Houston essentially having their pick of free agent backs, that would leave those four teams for the remaining top four backs that I listed earlier.
Last year’s loaded running back draft class deflated the market for free agent running backs. That isn’t the case this year, but there aren’t a ton of teams needing to fill their running back positions with prized free agents due to that strong 2023 class (and 2022).
EAGLES OPTIONS
If I had to rank the backs, I would go Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry (still has enough juice for his size, needs a better OL to let him get downhill) then Swift. Unless the Eagles become an under center team, I doubt they’ll bring in Henry. They’re also not going to pay up for Barkley or Jacobs.
Between Swift and Pollard, Swift would add more of an explosive element to a team. If the Eagles can sign Swift to a contract similar to what Miles Sanders earned last year ($6.35 AAV), then I would bring Swift back. But I don’t think Swift is a complete back and he has his flaws, which is probably why he fell out of the rotation in Detroit even when healthy.
I don’t think he’s a back that has to come back under any circumstance, but considering the draft class isn’t very deep then I think paying at running back has merit this season. Let’s not forget, Sanders’ contract also gave the team an out two years into the contract. Swift would have to agree to it, but I would imagine they can work something similar into the contract.
If the deal gets into the $8M+ AAV range, then I think the Eagles can go the cheap free agent and/or draft route and implement a real committee. Especially with the other holes they have on this roster.
TRADE POTENTIAL
If you’re wondering why the Eagles don’t just trade for a running back, again, there has to be a team willing to part ways with their back.
Swift was replaced by a first round running back in Jahmyr Gibbs. The first running back in this year’s class might not go until round three. I doubt a team is going to draft a third round running back and think to themselves, “Now that we have this guy, let’s trade away Travis Etienne.”
Looking at trade candidates, Dameon Pierce could be one, but the Texans don’t have a lead back currently and Pierce is still on a rookie contract. I just don’t see many options that I think the Eagles would trade for, or a team really looking to trade their back away.
Based on the free agent market compared to the number of running back needy teams, I think there’s a strong possibility that Swift is back in Philadelphia in 2024.
