Lions fans dreaming of a big second-year leap from talented running back D’Andre Swift, as well as fantasy football owners, got some rough news on Tuesday. Detroit head coach Dan Campbell provided an update on Swift’s injury status, and it’s not an overly optimistic outlook for No. 32 to be available at the start of the season.
Swift has missed almost all of training camp with a groin injury. He will not play in Friday night’s preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts and hasn’t participated in anything more than individual drills in weeks. Even those proved too much for Swift last week, when he was idled for two days after going harder (relatively speaking) to test the groin.
“Swift concerns me a little bit just with getting his wind back and being able to take a blow and how much can he (play), where he’s at,” Campbell said prior to Tuesday’s practice session in Allen Park. “He’ll be out here (practicing on Tuesday). He’ll be more involved than he’s been. But those are the (injuries I’m worried about), to be honest with you.”
Campbell then expanded the answer, casting serious doubt on Swift’s availability for the Week 1 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers,
“Look, I’ll state the obvious here: He’s got ability, and there’s things that we feel like we can do with him offensively that will really benefit us. But we don’t know if he’s going to be there. We don’t know if he’ll be there. We don’t know, even if he is, how much we’re going to get out of him. And until we get him out to practice on a consistent basis, we won’t know that. So that’s just really the truth of it. That’s where we’re at.”
Campbell appears to be as concerned about Swift’s conditioning level and grasp of the offense as he is about the groin injury itself. Mental reps are one thing, but failing to get actual action in team drills against live defenses is concerning for Swift, who is learning coordinator Anthony Lynn’s new offensive scheme.
