‘He’s a vital part of what we do’ — Ben Johnson leaves no doubt surrounding how he feels about Bears underappreciated weapon
Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift is looking to build off a successful first season back under Ben Johnson’s offense and the staff is hoping to get more out of their lead back this upcoming season.
A stable of the Chicago Bears’ offense last season under head coach Ben Johnson was the NFC’s leading rushing attack, which was propelled by a stout offensive line Johnson took priority in rebuilding last offseason.
The work in the backfield deserves some credit as well and the Bears suffered a big loss after losing RBs coach Eric Bieniemy. However, Johnson doesn’t foresee any fall off from the position after replacing Bieniemy with another experienced mind in Eric Studesville.
“He’s done it at a high level for a very long time,” Johnson said of Studesville. “He’s going to bring a lot to the table, schematically, once we get into the season. For right now, we’re just focused on the fundamentals and getting our tracks down with the backs.”
The Bears are also hoping that the addition of Studesville can help bring out even more in a player deemed the “most underappreciated” player of Chicago’s offense.
Chicago Bears still view D’Andre Swift as vital part of offense, looking to find ways to get more out of him
The leader of Chicago’s rushing attack last season was D’Andre Swift, who quietly set career-highs in rushing yards (1,087), rushing touchdowns (nine), and the second-highest yards per attempt average of his career (4.9).
“I still feel like I left some out there,” Swift told reporters Thursday. “That’s me being critical of myself looking back over everything. For the most part, I think I did a good job of doing what I was asked to do.”
After reuniting with Johnson and his offense, it was no surprise to see Swift’s game elevate during the 2025 season. However, looking back on his time in Detroit working with Johnson, there was clearly an area that was missing in his game from last year.
D’Andre Swift could be utilized more out of the backfield in 2026
With the Lions, Swift totaled 156 receptions for 1,198 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in three seasons. Last year, Swift set career-lows in targets and receptions. Regardless, the Bears were still able to use him as a consistent threat running the ball and now can aim to find other ways to get him involved in 2026.
“We certainly can target him more in the passing game, but there’s probably a number of guys I can say that for as well,” Johnson explained. “He’s a dynamic player, I’ve known that about him since he came into the league firsthand up there in Detroit and certainly last year. I wasn’t surprised with the year that he had. . .
“Is he capable of more? Absolutely. He absolutely is. And he’s a vital part of what we do here.”
After hearing that ahead of Thursday’s practice, it was encouraging to see Swift get more involved out of the backfield, including this big play Swift made catching a deep pass from quarterback Caleb Williams on a wheel route.
If the Bears can further unlock that part of Swift’s game, he can help add yet another wrinkle to Johnson’s offense. And Johnson’s seen firsthand that Swift has the ability to be used as an effective receiver as well.
Doing so can help Swift become more of an all-purpose player in this offense and regain Pro Bowl status, which would be huge considering this upcoming season is the final year of his contract. If he wants to stay in Chicago, he’ll need to continue proving himself as a top weapon in a variety of different ways.