Courtney Cronin
LAKE FOREST, Ailing. — DJ Moore's locker is 2 stalls away from that of Chicago Bears working again D'Andre Swift. Over the previous 16 months, since Swift signed his three-year, $24 million free agent contract with Chicago, Moore has had a chicken's-eye view of how his teammate handled the ups and downs of a 2024 season that fell wanting expectations.
“So long as I've identified Swift, he is all the time been the identical,” Moore mentioned. “I feel a few of the discuss is attending to him, and he needs to be the most effective that he might be this 12 months and he'll go on the market and show it.”
Swift's 959 speeding yards ranked 18th whereas his 5 touchdowns have been twenty fourth amongst all working backs regardless of his wage being the eleventh highest at his place. In the beginning of coaching camp, Swift downplayed final 12 months's frustrations serving as added motivation for his sixth NFL season, however the Bears are going to wish a bounce-back 12 months from their RB1, contemplating they did not make many modifications to the unit.
To associate with Swift, Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer, whose greatest contributions come on particular groups, Chicago's sole working again addition was through the seventh-round choose the Bears used to draft Kyle Monangai, who has earned early reward from coach Ben Johnson.
“I do know the notion out there may be that perhaps it isn't essentially the most gifted room on the planet,” Johnson mentioned. “They like to listen to that noise.”
The Bears ranked final in whole offense (284.6) in 2024, due largely to a speeding assault that didn't help a struggling passing sport quarterbacked by then-rookie Caleb Williams. What was as soon as a energy in Chicago devolved right into a disappointment behind the Bears' 102 speeding yards per sport (twenty fifth).
Swift crossed the 100-yard speeding threshold as soon as in 17 video games and had the bottom yards per try (3.8) of his profession. Johnson matched Swift's landing whole (6) however solely mustered 150 yards over 14 video games. There was a lot left undone from final season that the 26-year-old working again cannot nail down one space the place he feels he wants to enhance most.
“Every little thing,” Swift mentioned. “Particularly when numbers ain't the place they need to be statistically, though scrimmage yards (79.1), that was the most effective of my profession. However we gained 4 or 5 video games (5-12). Cannot sit up right here and discuss something constructive. All of us have one thing to work on, one thing to get higher at.
“When crew success is at a premium, every thing else goes to fall in line.”
With pads approaching for the primary time on Monday, Bears coaches will quickly have a possibility to see how these working backs match into Johnson's scheme. Whereas Johnson mentioned he would not know what sort of run sport the Bears will function simply but, it is sure to be an emphasis given how Detroit's run sport powered the Lions' offenses throughout Johnson's time as offensive coordinator, notably the 2023 and 2024 seasons when the crew boasted the fifth and sixth finest speeding assaults, respectively.
In 2024, the Lions' speeding assault was predicated off outdoors zone runs (51.3% of the time). Inside zone runs accounted for 12.8% of all rushes whereas hole scheme runs have been featured 16.7%. Energy runs (7.1%) and counters, sweeps, dives and traps have been every run lower than 5% of the time.
“Our broad zone has regarded good the previous few days and I do know that we've much more set up to place in with the run schemes,” offensive coordinator Declan Doyle mentioned. “It isn't like we're introducing every thing all of sudden. We need to be a number of and have the flexibility to do extra. As we go, simply being actually essential about evaluating these schemes, is it one thing that matches us? If it isn't, then it will get eliminated.”
Ben Johnson and Swift overlapped for the 2022 season when the working again was one-half of the Lions' speeding duo with Jamaal Williams. Detroit despatched Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 for a fourth-round choose, which it used to draft Jahmyr Gibbs as his alternative. With Gibbs and former Bear David Montgomery over the previous two seasons, the Lions emerged as one of many league's finest speeding models.
A part of that success might be attributed to the funding Detroit has usually made in its offensive line. The Lions ranked ninth in run block win charge in 2023. Whereas they dipped to sixteenth in 2024, Gibbs and Montgomery nonetheless accounted for 28 speeding touchdowns (second within the NFL).
Swift is aware of the good thing about taking part in behind a robust offensive line. The beginning 5 that the Eagles fielded throughout his career-best season in 2023 allowed him to set a profession excessive in speeding makes an attempt (229) and yards (1,049) and was extensively thought to be one of many high models within the NFL.
The success of Chicago's run sport hinges on improved play up entrance, which led the Bears to swap the complete inside of its offensive line for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and heart Drew Dalman.
The prospect of discovering his working lanes behind a line that initiatives as a energy for the Bears allowed for the mild-mannered Swift to momentarily break character.
“I am unable to wait,” Swift mentioned, flashing a smile that matched the tenor of his response. “I am excited.”
