D’Andre Swift gets rave reviews from Giants executives in season premiere ‘Hard Knocks’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The latest installment of “Hard Knocks” premiered Tuesday, giving NFL fans a glimpse into the Giants’ offseason. While the show follows GM Joe Schoen and others in the Giants’ front office, Bears fans got a little insight into one of the team’s new players.
In one scene, the Giants staff was looking at running backs on the market in case they needed to replace Saquon Barkley. The Giants staff was excited when it came time to discuss D’Andre Swift.
“This guy, from a physical talent standpoint, can make up for some of the things you lose with Saquon in terms of explosiveness and passing game,” Giants Director of Pro Scouting Chris Rossetti said.
Interestingly, the Giants thought it would be difficult to get Swift to join the team.
“The price would be a big problem for him,” Rossetti said.
“It’s going to be tough to get him out of Philly,” assistant GM Brandon Brown said. “That’s home for him.”
The Bears eventually signed Swift to a reported three years, $24 million. As it turned out, Barkley replaced Swift in Philadelphia on a reported three-year, $37.75 million deal. The Giants eventually signed Devin Singletary to a three-year, $16.5 million contract and added Tyrone Tracy in the fifth round of the draft to retool their RB room.
One reason the Giants may have passed on Swift is that, despite his talent, they didn’t see him as a major player.
“If you sign him, he’s more of a package player,” Rossetti said. “You’re going to pair him with someone.”
The contract the Bears offered Swift indicates he will handle the lion’s share of the backfield work this year, but there will still be opportunities for Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson to get snaps in two-back sets and in rotational roles.
It’s tough to judge how the running game will perform in the early stages of the offseason. The Bears won’t put on the pads until training camp begins, and then we’ll get a sense of how well things are coming together.
The Bears rookies report to Halas Hall for training camp on July 16, with the veterans following a few days later on July 19.
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