Examining the Dolphins' Swift Decision
Veteran tailbacks appear to be hitting the clearance aisle during the NFL draft.
It’s been widely speculated that the Tennessee Titans could be moving on from Derrick Henry and Minnesota is shopping Dalvin Cook. Neither of those Pro Bowl backs have been moved yet, and now there’s reportedly a new veteran tailback on the trade market.
After the Detroit Lions selected former Alabama standout Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, it appears that D’Andre Swift is being shopped, which makes sense since Detroit also signed veteran tailback David Montgomery in the offseason.
The Lions can couch it however they’d like — claiming they are merely fielding calls for Swift — but it appears Detroit might be willing to move the former Georgia standout, who has rushed for who interests the Lions' decision-makers.
Swift, who was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, has started only 16 of the 40 games he’s played, but he’s averaging 4.6 yards per carry throughout his career. He’s also caught 155 passes for 1,198 yards and scored 25 touchdowns in 40 games.
That’s a ton of production for a 24-year-old, who is slated to make $1.77 million in the final year of his rookie deal.
The problem is, an expiring contract makes Swift a one-season rental, which likely would prevent a team from offering anything better than a late-round selection considering all interested teams could get a shot at him as an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
COULD THE DOLPHINS BE PLAYERS FOR SWIFT?
The Dolphins, who possess only four selections in the 2023 NFL draft — two of which (pick No. 51 and No. 84) will be utilized Friday — don’t have much draft capital with which to barter.
And considering Swift fits the mold of what the Dolphins already have on the roster in Raheem Mostert and Salvon Ahmed, it doesn’t make sense for Miami to pursue Swift and his expiring contract when they could simply use a draft pick to select a younger tailback who will be under contract for four years at a cheaper rate.
Miami re-signed Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Ahmed and Myles Gaskin this offseason, retaining all four of last year’s tailbacks. But that doesn’t mean the team is done adding ball carriers. In fact, the Dolphins typically carry six to eight tailbacks into training camp.
“The running backs we have, obviously we like them. We brought them back,” said Marvin Allen, the Dolphins’ assistant general manager. “They’re coming in on one-year deals, so obviously we’re going to keep our (eyes) open to see what’s available in the upcoming draft and free agency. We’re looking at all opportunities to bring in good football players. Obviously running back is a key component in this offense. We’re going to look for the best players we can find.”
It has been widely speculated that Miami has a level of interest in Cook, especially if the South Florida native were to be released by the Vikings.
Nothing on the Cook front had materialized as of Friday, and it’s possible that nothing ever will considering Cook likely would require a new contract for substantial money from whatever team acquires him.
Under General Manager Chris Grier, the Dolphins have a history of adding tailbacks in the later rounds, and that could be the route used to replenish the backfield.
UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet, Texas A&M’s Devon Achane, Kentucky’s Chris Rodriquez Jr., UAB’s Dewayne McBride, Tulane’s Tyjae Spears, Syracuse’s Sean Tucker, Auburn’s Tank Bigsby, Texas’ Roschon Johnson and Mississippi’s Zach Evans are the tailbacks who could potentially come off the board in Rounds 2-3, and there’s another dozen who could be taken on Day 3 of the draft, or signed as undrafted free agents.
