D’Andre Swift could be the Bears’ biggest offensive weapon hiding in plain sight and he has plenty to prove to everyone
Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift has been easily one of the team’s most consistent players heading into the regular season and it couldn’t come at a better time.
The Chicago Bears head into the 2026 regular season with high expectations of being one of the top scoring offenses in the league, and one of the top scoring units in NFL history.
With head coach Ben Johnson at the helm, anything is certainly possible, including with the young talented cast of weapons he has at his disposal lead by a dynamic player at quarterback in Caleb Williams. The real sparkplug for this offense is the one weapon we’re not talking about enough going into Week 1.
Running back D’Andre Swift is going to be an absolute monster for the Bears this season behind the Bears’ offensive front and everything we’ve seen the last few weeks proves a huge season is on the way for the team’s lead back.
D’Andre Swift was easily the team’s most consistent player throughout training camp
Everyone this offseason has been raving about Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, and Rome Odunze and the impact they will have for Chicago’s offense this season. Yet, Swift ha easily the most consistent player throughout Bears’ training camp.
The approach he’s had this offseason has been stellar and he has continuously ripped off big plays in practice (including joint practices against other defenses). Yet, the reason it’s gone relatively unnoticed from the outside is because of how consistent he’s been for those that see him every day.
“The same Swift he’s always been. Man, his last name describes it all, for real, for real,” Bears linebacker Devin Bush said. “Really good between the tackles, really good in space, plays behind his pads, can make a guy miss in the open field, and good enough to run past you or through you. He’s one of those all-around backs, for real.”
While second-year running back Kyle Monangai has been sidelined with a knee injury, Swift has taken complete command of Chicago’s backfield and shown zero signs of slowing down going into his seventh NFL season.
“It’s the best I’ve seen him this time of year,” Ben Johnson said of Swift. “You look back at a year ago, he was very explosive and yet it takes a little while to gel between him and the offensive line. I think he’s accelerating his vision here at this point… He bounces it when we’re supposed to bounce it. He hits it right on the spot when it’s there and then he cuts it up. I think he’s doing a really good job right now. I think he’s primed for a big year.”
Swift will need to have a big year to earn a second contract with the Chicago Bears
Swift is entering the final year of his three-year, $24 million contract he signed with the Bears back in 2024. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune hinted a few days back that Swift’s contract status was one to watch going into the regular season. We are now 10 days from the season opener and nothing appear imminent on that front.
“It’s definitely something we need to look at and we will look at,” GM Ryan Poles told reporters on Tuesday. “I think he’s done a great job. I love his approach to this offseason. He looks amazing. Second year in the system, too. I think the combinations of having EB (Eric Bieniemy) and (Eric) Studesville has been awesome for him. I like where he’s at right now. This is where this job gets tough is trying to figure out how you want to allocate everything. Not only for now but in the future. So we’ll have those conversations and where we want to go with it. But, I love Swifty and love the way that he’s working.”
Clearly, it’s a difficult situation for the Bears to think about. Swift is a major piece of this offense after handling over 250 touches in each of the last two years. And where the market is, the price for Swift will only get bigger the longer the Bears drag their feet.
Ben Johnson appreciates what Swift brings to this team, Ryan Poles has always been a big fan, and his teammates constantly rave about him. To me, this should be an easy decision for the Bears to make. And for Swift, it’s on him to go out there and prove it at this point.
“I feel like I’m just getting started if you ask me,” Swift claimed. “I do feel like that.”
