With his $24 million three-year contract, D’Andre Swift will likely be the starting running back for the Chicago Bears in 2024 and beyond. You would assume so, at least.
Despite the lack of apparent necessity at running back, Swift was the Bears’ key free agent addition. However, they swiftly signed the free agent running back from the Philadelphia Eagles, offering him a $14 million guarantee. This is beginning to sound familiar, doesn’t it?
Former Eagles running back Miles Sanders inked a $25.4 million, four-year contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. It’s difficult to look at this year’s rendition of the story and assume it would turn out differently, even though the situations might be quite different.
The Bears have two more excellent running backs, so we shouldn’t expect that Swift will enter the game and take over as the main quarterback.
Even if they are different players, Miles Sanders’ failure in Carolina during his first month there is nonetheless alarming. After signing a contract with the Bears, Swift left the Eagles after a year. Running backs behind the Eagles offensive line have been very successful lately. As Sanders appears to have been, you have to question if Swift was a product of the Eagles offensive line.
Although Sanders’ 2022 season was more productive and efficient than his previous one, he was unsuccessful after leaving Philadelphia. It was his least effective and least productive season during the first year of his deal in Carolina, which made it awful. The Panthers selected running back Jonathan Brooks with their first-round selection in the second round because it was that horrible.
In terms of rushing yards, touchdowns, and yards per carry, Sanders recorded career lows. The former running back for the Eagles might be cut this offseason after just a year.
This is why it was never a good idea to sign Swift in the first place. Yes, they recently selected Roschon Johnson in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but Khalil Herbert is scheduled to become a free agency in 2024. Despite missing time the previous season, both players had a respectable ground game.
Swift’s ability to catch passes is what sets him apart from these two other running backs the most. Swift had three straight seasons in Detroit with 300 or more receiving yards before being dealt to the Eagles, despite his lacklustre performance the previous season. The Bears are probably going to want to take advantage of that aspect of Swift’s game to provide Caleb Williams with an offensive check-down option.
The Bears paid a lot of money for a receiving back, if they truly desired one. But Herbert and Johnson must not be overlooked. In between the tackles, Herbert has been excellent, while Johnson provides the Bears with size at running back and the ability to play on third downs. Swift will not get the same amount of touches as other NFL workhorse running backs, even if he is the starter.
If Swift wasn’t the Bears’ primary running back to begin the 2024 campaign, it would be shocking. However, that does not guarantee that he will start every game of the season.
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