Is D'Andre Swift gone after Eagles hired pass-crazy OC Kellen Moore? How RB can thrive

PHILADELPHIA − The thinking goes that as soon as the Eagles officially announce the hiring of Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator, running D'Andre Swift will start looking for a new team.

After all, Moore has a reputation of running a pass-heavy offense. He has had a percent ratio of nearly 60-40 of pass attempts compared with rushing attempts in four of his last five seasons as offensive coordinator − Dallas from 2019-22, and the Chargers last season.

So you can imagine the line of Eagles fans outside the NovaCare Complex next season with "Run the Ball!" signs should Moore stay true to his history. The fans were already holding those signs outside the NovaCare Complex this season − and the Eagles actually ran the ball 48.7% of the time.

So why would Moore have a need for Swift or any other running back hoping to be a significant part of the Eagles' offense? And why would Swift want to re-sign under those circumstances?

Swift is coming off a career-best 1,049 yards rushing. He's eligible for free agency in March, and the Philly native said he isn't interested in giving the Eagles a home-town discount by replying "most definitely" when asked if he wants a fair-market contract.

The Eagles, of course, have not paid big money for running backs since GM Howie Roseman returned to power in 2016.

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That was evidenced most recently after the 2022 season when they hardly made an effort to re-sign Miles Sanders after he had a career-high 1,269 yards rushing. Instead, Sanders signed a four-year deal worth as much as $25 million with Carolina.

The Eagles compensated by trading for Swift, who was entering the final season of his rookie contract, and counted just $2.1 million on the Eagles' salary cap in 2023. The Eagles gave Detroit a fourth-round pick in 2025, and the two teams swapped seventh-round picks last spring.

The Eagles were proven right when Sanders had by far the worst season of his career, with 432 yards rushing on just 3.3 yards per carry.

Swift, meanwhile, said a few weeks ago that he's only getting started. After all, this was the first time Swift stayed healthy for the entire season since the Lions made him their second-round pick in 2020.

"I guess there were questions going around as far as durability and stuff like that," Swift said. "So I answered that question. I thought it was a great step in the right direction. I know what I’m capable of, and everything is ahead of me."

But let's get back to Moore.

Moore has proven that Swift, or another top running back, can thrive in his pass-first offense. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said last week that he was looking for an offensive coordinator with "fresh ideas," and that, no doubt, involves the passing game with pre-snap motion and other changes.

But any top play-caller has to adjust to the players around him. And for all of Moore's accomplishments, especially with quarterback Dak Prescott in Dallas, he has never worked with a quarterback as dynamic as a runner as Eagles' QB Jalen Hurts.

No doubt, Moore's success or failure will depend on if he is able to maximize Hurts' talents, both as a passer and runner.

We saw how well that can work in the 2022 season when Hurts was the MVP runner-up and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. The threat of Hurts as a runner made Sanders more dangerous because defenses had to account for Hurts as a runner.

But Hurts as a running threat also opened up passing lanes for receivers A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert.

Shane Steichen was the Eagles offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022. The Eagles led the NFL in rushing in 2021, and were fifth in 2022. Steichen then left and became the Colts head coach. He was replaced by Brian Johnson, who was fired after this season as Sirianni said the offense "got a little stale."

Hurts rushed for 605 yards this season, less than the 740 yards he had rushing in 2022. Hurts' average yards per carry declined from 4.6 yards to 3.9.

But if you think that Steichen came from a run-first background, consider that he had spent seven seasons as an offensive assistant with the Chargers from 2014-20, working with Philip Rivers, a prolific passer, for the first six of those seasons.

Steichen became the Chargers' offensive coordinator in 2020, working with Herbert during his rookie season. Herbert threw for 4,336 yards, just 38 yards shy of Andrew Luck's rookie record.

Steichen adjusted with Hurts and the Eagles, and Moore will have to adjust somewhat too, even though Sirianni is giving up autonomy over the offense.

Moore has shown that the running attack matters, albeit not in the same way. The Cowboys had 1,000-yard rushers in three of Moore's four seasons, whether it was Tony Pollard or Ezekiel Elliott. The only season Dallas didn't have a running back get at least 1,000 yards was in 2020, when Elliott finished just short with 979 yards.

Yet in 2021, the Cowboys ran the ball 42.2% of the time. It was 42.9% of the time in 2019.

In 2022, Moore's last season in Dallas, the Cowboys ran the ball 48.8% of the time. Pollard had 1,007 yards that season and Elliot had 876 yards.

The Chargers, who finished 5-12 this season, weren't as successful running the ball, and they only did so 40.5% of the time. Austin Ekeler had just 628 yards rushing, and averaged just 3.5 yards per attempt, by far the lowest of his career.

That won't work with the Eagles. Hurts won't be as effective as a passer if the running attack isn't successful. And Moore won't be successful as an offensive coordinator if he doesn't take advantage of the running game.

Swift showed that he can handle being an every-down back.

"First and foremost, I was able to contribute when needed," Swift said, "and make my opportunities count."

That shouldn't change for Swift, or whoever replaces him, even if the fans' "Run the Ball!" signs are more prevalent under Moore.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Why Eagles RB D'Andre Swift can thrive under pass-crazy OC Kellen Moore