When the Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson, it put the team’s running game into the spotlight. The ground attack was the engine to the Detroit Lions offense as they leaned on David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs to rank sixth in rushing yards per game and earn the top record in the NFC last season.
Lions fans don’t want you to talk about what happened after that, but it’s important information as Johnson heads to Chicago. Johnson needs the running game to succeed, and if it does, it will take significant pressure off Caleb Williams, who tried to do everything by himself during his rookie season.
Fans reading the tea leaves have speculated that Johnson could pull off a big move in order to get what he wants out of his rushing attack. But in the case of one playmaker, it may be a better idea to keep him around than to throw him out on the open market.
Bears Should Hold Onto D’Andre Swift Through the NFL Draft
The Bears signed D’Andre Swift to a three-year, $24 million contract to be the anchor of their running game last offseason. But his initial season in Chicago produced mixed results, running 253 times for 959 yards and six touchdowns. Swift added 42 catches for 386 yards in the running game, but he wasn’t an efficient runner, posting a 43.9% success rate according to Pro Football Reference.
With Johnson’s previous experience with Swift in Detroit, it’s been speculated that the Bears could be willing to move on. Johnson tried to silence those rumors with a raving review of Swift at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, but it didn’t stop the rumor mill as ESPN’s Matt Miller indicated that Chicago has a draft crush on Boise State star Ashton Jeanty.
“The Bears don’t have many huge needs thanks to their aggressive spending this offseason, but they could use a boost at running back,” Miller wrote. Jeanty could team with D’Andre Swift and give new coach Ben Johnson a two-headed backfield similar to what he had in Detroit.”
This sounds good with Jeanty being the muscle and Swift being the complement. But there’s a better chance the Bears will look to double down in a strong draft class and land a cheaper complement.
Then again, holding onto Swift could make more sense. Even if the Bears have Jeanty and Swift at the top of the depth chart, they could still draft a third back late and have Swift play out this season. If it ends like last year, the Bears can get out of Swift’s contract either and save $7.5 million on the 2026 cap.
It’s not an ideal situation but it at least gives Johnson to work his magic and see if Swift responds. In a league full of egos, general manager Ryan Poles would probably like to see his free-agent splash get another shot, and it could lead to Swift surviving the offseason gauntlet in Chicago.