After entering Week 3 with a quad injury, Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift was able to put together a decent performance against the Dallas Cowboys. Swift finished the 31-14 victory with 78 all-purpose yards but the fact that he only received 17 total touches was a clear indicator that the former Georgia Bulldogs standout wasn't right.
Fast forward to the build to Chicago's Week 4 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, and fans are seeing Swift attempt to fight through a different injury. According to Wednesday's injury report, Swift is now dealing with a hip issue that forced him to be a limited participant in practice.
At this stage of the week, it is hard to know exactly how much this new injury will limit Swift this weekend. This is on top of now knowing how far along he is in his recovery from the quad issue that hampered him leading up to Week 3, presenting both short- and long-term concerns about the Bears' starting running back.
D'Andre Swift's Injuries Could Force the Bears to Make a Trade
Should Swift be unable to play, or even if he does and cannot carry his typical workload, the next man up will be rookie Kyle Monangai. It has been a rough go of it for the seventh-round pick thus far as Monangai has only 44 rushing yards on 13 carries. But that hasn't stopped head coach Ben Johnson from suggesting he wants the former Rutgers standout to get more opportunities to touch the ball moving forward.
There is also the possibility that the offense leans on Roschon Johnson a bit more in the coming weeks if Swift continues to be hampered by injuries. Although, despite being cleared to play in Weeks 2 and 3 after missing the season opener with a foot injury, Johnson has yet to record a touch on offense.
That could very well mean that the issues the Bears are having on the ground will need to be answered by trading for a player who is currently outside the organization. With the way things are going so far for the RB room, it is hard to think that anyone in this group can stay healthy, let alone get the job done over the course of 17 weeks.
Adding another veteran rusher to the fold was something fans clamored for throughout the offseason. The Bears ignored those pleas at the time, believing they had enough firepower in their backfield to get the job done. Through three weeks of play, that was clearly a miscalculation on the part of the coaching staff and the front office. Now, trading for an established rusher may be the best option Chicago has if Swift can't return to health soon.