Eagles' Jason Kelce Explains Why He Tells RB D'Andre Swift 'Sorry'

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce explained why he often finds himself apologizing to running back D'Andre Swift.

Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift will enter Week 17's tilt against the Arizona Cardinals having rushed for 988 yards in his first season with the team. But while Swift is about to go over 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career, he's rushed for only five touchdowns this season. 

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The reason? When the Eagles get close to the end zone, regardless of how they got there, you know what play is coming. Whether you call it the "Tush Push", "Brotherly Shove" or something else, the controversial play has been nearly unstoppable over the last two years when run by the Eagles. So when the Eagles get close to the end zone, they turn to their signature play, which is how quarterback Jalen Hurts was able to set a new single-season rushing touchdown record for quarterbacks in last week's victory over the New York Giants. 

In fact, Hurts scored the record-breaking touchdown on Christmas Day after a 12-yard run from Swift got the Eagles to New York's one-yard line. Normally, if a running back gets you into position to score, play callers will try to reward that player with an opportunity to rush for a touchdown. But until opposing teams show any ability to stop the play, coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson would be foolish to run anything else when they only need a yard to score. 

Still, Eagles center Jason Kelce admitted on the latest episode of "New Heights" that he finds himself feeling badly for Swift when the push play is called after the running back nearly found the end zone. 

"Every time D'Andre Swift gets tackled at the one [yard line], I just look at him in the huddle like 'I'm so sorry man. You know exactly what we're about to do,'" Kelce said, before he and his brother, Travis, chuckled. 

The good news for Swift is that he would rush for a five-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of last week's game, giving the Eagles a 27-18 lead and some breathing room over a feisty Giants team. 

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Swift's 2023 season may not blow anyone away from a touchdowns perspective -- he has six total -- but the trade that brought him to Philadelphia for a fourth round pick in 2025 and a swap of 2023 seventh-round picks has proven to be mutually beneficial for both the player and team. 

The 24-year-old will become a free agent this offseason, which may mean he's one-and-done in Philadelphia. However, Swift only has carried the ball 580 times in his first four NFL seasons, so it's not as though he's been run into the ground. Perhaps the two sides can reach an agreement to keep him in midnight green beyond 2023.