August 23, 2023   2 MIN READ

Birds Ink WR

New WR Freddie Swain Can Also Return Punts

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Stung by injuries at wide receiver, the Eagles on Wednesday signed free agent Freddie Swain, a former Broncos and Seahawks wideout, to compete Thursday night against the Colts in the preseason finale.

Swain, who also played one game last year for the Dolphins, has 42 career receptions for 576 yards and six touchdowns in his 37-game career, with an average of almost 14 yards per reception.

Freddie Swain

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles WR Freddie Swain will get a chance to keep his NFL career alive by playing in the preseason finale.

Also, Swain can brings an added dimension to the team:

Swain has 189 career punt-return yards on 23 punts, an average of 8.2 per return. He’s also returned six career kicks for 137 yards, averaging about 23 yards per return.

The former Florida receiver, who played there with injured Eagles receiver Tyrie Cleveland, played for Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who held the same position at Florida.

Swain was a sixth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2020 and spent two seasons in Seattle, catching 38 passes for 502 yards. He was Seattle’s fourth-leading receiver in yards in 2021.

The Eagles needed bodies at receiver, with starters A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith – and possibly Olamide Zaccheaus – likely to rest in the preseason finale, and with injuries plaguing them at the position.

The team recently waived/injured Cleveland after the wideout left last Thursday’s preseason game against the Browns on a stretcher and was diagnosed with a concussion.

Other injured receivers include Quez Watkins, who was limited at practice this week with a hamstring injury, along with Britain Covey (hamstring) and Greg Ward (ankle).

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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About The Author

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Geoff Mosher is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the Eagles, the NFL and other college and pro sports across several different multimedia platforms. He is co-host of the acclaimed Inside the Birds podcast, the leading podcast for intel on the Philadelphia Eagles, and co-host on 97.3 ESPN's drive-time show. He has also hosted on Philadelphia's sports-talk station, 94.1 WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic. Geoff was the lead Eagles Insider from 2012-2015 for NBC Sports Philadelphia, where he wrote for the website and appeared daily on the station's TV shows, including Quick Slants, Philly Sports Talk, Eagles Pregame/Postgame Live and Eagles Extra. Prior to joining NBC Sports, Geoff worked the Eagles beat from 2005-2012 for the Wilmington News Journal, where he broke several major news stories and also won an Associated Press Sports Editors award under the category of Breaking News for his coverage of the sudden death of Phillies play by play broadcaster Harry Kalas. Geoff has appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter, NFL Network, NBC Sports Network, FOX29, 6ABC and has conducted interviews for Sirius/XM NFL radio and countless other radio stations across the country.

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