One player on the Chicago Bears offense who seems to be in murky territory is D’Andre Swift. From a purely statistical perspective, he had a good season in 2024, amassing over 1300 total yards. However, he averaged only 3.8 per carry and too often went through extended droughts that left the Bears running game silent. Part of this was due to the offensive line’s inadequacies, but he was also to blame due to vision and power issues. One would think the arrival of Ben Johnson and his proven offensive system, which is catered to running backs, would be a godsend.
Things aren’t that simple. The new Bears head coach already proved two years ago that he isn’t the biggest Swift fan. After 151 carries in 2021 for Detroit, that decreased to 99 in 2022 during Johnson’s first year running the offense. Then, in the subsequent off-season, the Lions traded Swift to Philadelphia. Some believe there is a chance that it could happen again at some point this spring. Sterling Xie of Pro Football Network even believes there is a team well-positioned to make it happen.
Swift still has two years left on the three-year, $24 million deal he signed last offseason. That makes the timing of this important, as the Bears would want to wait until after June 1 to trade Swift. By doing so, they’d save $8 million in cap room and take on a minuscule $1.3 million dead cap hit the next two years. It would also give the Bears the luxury of seeing if they come away with one of their preferred running backs in the draft.
One coaching connection for Swift is in Washington, where Brian Johnson is an assistant. Johnson was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator in 2023 when Swift made the Pro Bowl and had his only 1,000-yard rushing season.
D’Andre Swift to Washington actually makes a ton of sense.
The Commanders run an offense built around lots of speed in the passing game. One thing they didn’t have last year was an explosive running back who could threaten through the air. D’Andre Swift has been that kind of threat his entire career. Chicago regularly took advantage of it last season, including against the Commanders, where he had one of his best games. If the Bears wish to take advantage of a deep running back class in the draft, trading Swift makes sense. The cost wouldn’t be too high for Washington, likely no more than a 5th round pick. Chicago could then stash them for next year while revamping their running back room into something Johnson wants. We’ll see if things break that way.
