D'Andre Swift News: Eyeing bounce-back season

Swift said Tuesday at mandatory minicamp that he's "being very critical about how I played last year" and is "excited about this year" under new head coach Ben Johnson, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times reports.

The first season of Swift's three-year, $24 million deal with the Bears disappointed compared to expectations, as he finished with just 959 rushing yards and six touchdowns despite playing all 17 regular-season games and handling a career-high 253 carries. He averaged just 3.8 YPC in 2024 after having combined for 4.6 YPC across the first four years of his NFL career. As such, it was somewhat surprising to see Chicago fail to add notable backfield competition in free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft. Rookie seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai joins Roschon Johnson as a depth option, but Swift seems destined to reprise a starting role. With the benefit of a much-improved O-line and Johnson's promising offensive scheme, Swift will be in tremendous position to improve upon his 2024 stats if he sees a similar amount of opportunities. Johnson, who was Swift's offensive coordinator during his final season in Detroit in 2022, called the running back a "fierce competitor" and praised his willingness to "find a way to put his shoulder down and move the pile."