The first two weeks played out very differently for Eagles running back D’Andre Swift.
Swift had one carry and one catch in Week One against the Patriots, but Kenneth Gainwell missed Week Two and Swift stepped into the lead role in the backfield with superb results. Swift had 28 carries for 175 yards and he caught three passes, which is the second-most touches he’s ever had in a game. The 58 snaps he played were the third-most in his career.
On Thursday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked if he thinks that kind of usage is sustainable.
“We’re going to ride the hot hand,” Sirianni said, via a transcript from the team. “Do I think it’s sustainable? Shoot, his body is ready to go. I don’t ever want to put an expectation on anybody. If he’s got the hot hand on Monday night, we’ll keep rolling with him. We feel really good about the work he puts in to make sure his body is right. It’s hard not to — running the ball like that, give it to him 35 times. It’s hard not to do that.”
Gainwell’s status will likely impact how much Swift plays against the Buccaneers on Monday night and the Eagles have shown an ability to get contributions from multiple backs under Sirianni, so Swift should have chances to make an impact for the Eagles even if he doesn’t touch the ball quite as much as he did last week.
