D.J. Swearinger is back in D.C.!
Well, kind of, as Swearinger, who spent two seasons with the then-Redskins in 2017-18 but has been out of the NFL since 2021 is back in the XFL, signing this week with the D.C. Defenders, who at 6-1 are the best team in the XFL through seven of 10 weeks of play.
He won’t play in D.C. this weekend, as the Defenders are in Seattle, but he did join old friends Grant & Danny Thursday afternoon to explain why his return is happening now: his son, Dayarlo Jr.
“It was my son; we were at his track meet, and out of nowhere he was like, ‘Dad, I want to come and watch you play football,’ Swearinger said. “I told him if I got the opportunity again, I would go play, and it’s crazy, that day, they hit me up for the third time. The first couple of times I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it, but after my son said that, I saw it as a sign that I had to come back out.”
Back on March 18, Swearinger had Tweeted the following about that exchange:
He did say in a reply that the “pay don’t matter,” and three weeks later, Swearinger will earn whatever paycheck it is when the Defenders play the Sea Dragons in Seattle.
Perhaps, then, the XFL isn’t a step down, but maybe a step back towards the NFL for the former second-round pick who spent eight seasons in the league?
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“I definitely want to get back in the league; I was only credited eight seasons because I only played four games in 2021 and wasn’t credited, so I’d like to make it to 10 seasons if I can,” Swearinger said. “I’m still healthy and can play at a high level, so I definitely want to put together some great film over the next few weeks. Plus, my son is playing Madden now, so if I get back in the league maybe he won’t have to play Madden 2020 to play as daddy!”
As far as what he said in the Tweet, it was perhaps more posturing, as Swearinger was training for a boxing debut when the Commanders called.
“I actually was thinking about it, but it was sort of a toss-up for me. I actually was in training camp getting ready for my first pro boxing fight on May 19, so I’ve been putting crazy work in at the gym, a lot of cardio,” Swearinger said. “I kind of didn’t want all that training to go to waste, but what my son said got me to this point, and boxing will always be there. There’s nothing like creating those memories for my kid; he was a baby when I played in Washington and he just played his first season of flag football, so he understands the game and watches my highlights, so maybe it was time for me to get back in the game, because I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.”
Because of that, he feels it’ll be a quick transition back to the gridiron.
“Boxing is one of the most challenging things; I’ve been training since 2014, and since 2020 I’ve been taking it very seriously and sparring with some world champion-level pros, so I’ve been taking it to the next level,” Swearinger said. “Physically and mentally it’s tough, and I’ve never been in shape like this. Transitioning back to football and getting my feet back under me as far as quick-twitch, I was still doing drills, but not as much as if I was training for a season, but I’m back in the swing of things and I’ll be ready when my number is called.”
The 31-year-old safety will be playing for another former Commander, this time a staffer: Defenders defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who had the same job with the ‘Skins from 2004-07 but has been out of the NFL since 2020 himself.
Like Swearinger, whose time in Washington ended early because of criticism of his coaches, Williams was sort of run out of the league, fired by the Jets in December 2020 after a very questionable play call cost Gang Green their first win of the season in a late loss to the Raiders.
Those two may have a lot to talk about there, but Swearinger is looking forward to getting into the scheme of someone with nearly a quarter-century of experience just at the coordinator or head coach level.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about his defense; I played in New Orleans under (Dennis Allen, in 2019-20) and they ran kind of similar systems, but he’s a fiery coach and one of the defensive coordinators I always respected,” Swearinger said. “He likes guys who can run and hit, my style of play. He wants guys to run fast and hit hard, and I’m ready to do that and help these guys in any way I can. I think it’s a good fit for the both of us.”
Follow Grant & Danny on Twitter: @granthpaulsen & @funnydanny
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