The Eagles’ trade for D’Andre Swift shows how the Bijan Robinson truthers need cognitive restructuring

The time has come for fans who overvalue running backs — the Bijan Robinson truthers, if you will — to undergo cognitive restructuring. Despite the efforts of some to end this transgenerational thinking, against the will of media gaslighters, the flawed idea that significant resources should be devoted to the position persists.

Howie Roseman would, in theory, be the logical choice to apply the therapy. He could offer a special group rate at the steps of the Art Museum. But the general manager has been candid both in word and deed about his views, and yet many were convinced heading into this year’s NFL draft that the Eagles would take Robinson with the 10th overall pick.

They howled when the Texas running back went to the Falcons at No. 8, and second-guessed Roseman when he traded up for Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Some may reassure themselves with the notion that Atlanta blocked the Eagles from Robinson.

But they’ve blindly ignored the signs for decades, lambasted Andy Reid and Joe Banner when they were ahead of the curve, and failed to see that in the modern-day salary cap era allocating significant resources to a position that has a comparatively short shelf life isn’t good business.

Roseman has made his share of mistakes over the years. He has had his blindspots in terms of roster building. But he has followed the Reid-Banner playbook at running back to a T and showed again on Saturday that there are better cost-effective ways to address the position.

» READ MORE: Eagles bring D’Andre Swift home, trading with the Lions to add an offensive weapon at running back

Shortly after the third day of the draft started, he acquired D’Andre Swift and a seventh rounder from Detroit in exchange for a seventh rounder and a 2025 fourth rounder. The former Georgia and St. Joseph’s Prep product was available after the Lions shockingly selected Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall on Thursday night.

“We thought maybe it was an opportunity,” Roseman said. “They signed [former Bears running back David] Montgomery in free agency, and they took Gibbs, and we knew [Swift] was in the last year of his deal.”

Clearly, there are teams that place great value upon the position. Eagles fans should be happy their team doesn’t. The argument here isn’t that Robinson and Gibbs aren’t first-round talents, or not likely to become excellent NFL players. It’s one of value and percentages and who you draft vs. who you could have drafted.

That isn’t to say Carter will become a franchise cornerstone like several previous first round linemen the Eagles selected over the last 13 years: defensive end Brandon Graham, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and tackle Lane Johnson. But the positional odds of Carter becoming a mainstay beyond his first contract are significantly higher than that of any running back.

» READ MORE: Ranking the top 10 Eagles first-round draft picks in franchise history

Had Robinson been the pick at No. 10, he would have earned $22.6 million over the next four years. That’s a lot of money to a running back when you have quarterback Jalen Hurts’ recent franchise-altering contract extension and arguably the best offensive line in the NFL to compensate.

Miles Sanders had a strong fourth season in 2022, rushing for a career-high 1,269 yards. He justified the Eagles’ original second-round investment — the highest running back the team drafted since LeSean McCoy 10 years prior — but Hurts and the O-line were more prominent reasons for the offensive success on the ground over the last two seasons.

“It starts with the O-line,” Roseman said Saturday — and for like the 1,000th time.

Sanders left via free agency when he signed a four-year, $25.4 million contract with the Panthers. He didn’t exactly break the bank, but when you consider how much the Eagles are collectively paying their four top running backs this season — $6 million — it’s no wonder they let him walk.

» READ MORE: Thumbs up or down: Eagles beat writers weigh in on the Rashaad Penny signing

With Swift, free agent addition Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott, coach Nick Sirianni has a variety of proven backs from which to choose. He could give Swift the opportunity to be the bell cow — one he didn’t quite have in his first three seasons in Detroit — but the Eagles have mostly employed a by-committee approach since McCoy left eight years ago.

“We really are happy with our running back room. This was just another great piece to add,” Sirianni said. “But you can definitely see [Swift’s] ability to make people miss in space and you saw it against our defense last year.”

The 24-year old-is an electric runner. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry with the Lions and 5.5 yards last season after they improved their O-line. But he has been as effective as a receiver, catching a yearly average of 52 passes for 400 yards.

The Eagles haven’t had a running back as productive in the passing game since McCoy. Penny has been more of a first- and second-down option in his career, but if the injury-prone former first rounder misses time, Swift has a chance to bolster the numbers that could help him in a contract year.

To say that Roseman disregards the running back position would be erroneous. He has made numerous moves — some of his most inventive — to upgrade the spot. The Eagles might not have won Super Bowl LII without the free agent signing of LeGarrette Blount and the trade for Jay Ajayi.

But Blount came on an inexpensive one-year deal and Ajayi was deemed expendable by the team that drafted him. Sound familiar?

There exists scenarios in which the Eagles could draft a running back in the first round someday. Any number of variables could compel Roseman to pull the lever for one if the circumstances called for it — No. 1 being the caliber of tailback.

» READ MORE: Eagles think they finally drafted a ‘red star’ safety in Sydney Brown

The Eagles liked Robinson a lot. They brought him to the NovaCare Complex for one of their 30 allotted pre-draft visits and one evaluator cited him as his favorite in terms of character.

There was also a cogent enough argument for choosing him — maybe not at No. 10 but later in the first — built around the likelihood that Hurts will have to become less of a plus-one factor in the run game as he gets older and considering his worth.

Robinson, given his three-down potential, wouldn’t need Hurts as a threat to be productive and would be a safeguard should his development as a passer flat line. The Falcons and Lions, because they don’t have top-level quarterbacks, felt a similar need to strengthen their ground game.

But Atlanta and Detroit and far too many other teams still mistakenly trumpet the idea that having a dominant running game is necessary to win championships. The run game is important, but it pales in comparison to having a dynamic passing attack.

Perhaps that is why the old-school beliefs about running backs still exist. There are certainly plenty who are informed enough to understand the new paradigm for offensive success in the NFL, especially here in Philadelphia.

But it doesn’t help that talk radio and click baiters disingenuously push a narrative all for the sake of ratings or hide behind a faux defense in the name of “entertainment.” It’s time to break the cycle and end the irrationality for the sake of actual truth.