Bears RB D'Andre Swift adapted to new scheme, hard coaching and is delivering best season of career
It would’ve been natural for anyone to bristle at what the Bears asked of running back D’Andre Swift going into this season:
Change the running style that made you a star at every level, including earning a Pro Bowl selection and a $24 million contract. Tolerate fewer carries and less playing time. Train a rookie who will cut into your stats and could eventually make you dispensable.
Oh, and by the way, your new position coach is as demanding as they come.
Swift jumped on board without hesitation.
“There’s always room for improvement, so I don’t ever think I’ve arrived,” he told the Sun-Times. “I always have another level I can tap into… If I didn’t look at it like that, I would be getting comfortable, and that’s not something I ever want to do.”
It’s been a smashing success for him and the team.
Bears coach Ben Johnson got the disciplined, explosive lead back he needed, and Swift is having his best season. He needs three yards Sunday against the Lions to break his career-high of 1,049, which he set with the Eagles in 2023 to put himself in line for a three-year deal with the Bears, and has a career-high nine rushing touchdowns.
And that’s while mentoring and making room for impressive rookie Kyle Monangai.
Swift has put together a sparkling performance coming off one of his worst. He’s averaging 4.9 yards per carry after a career-low 3.8. He gained no or negative yardage on 19% of his runs last season, but cut that to a career-best 12.7% this season. He also has a career-high 29 runs of 10-plus yards, sixth in the NFL and up from 18 last season.
Upgrades to the offensive scheme and offensive line helped, but it’s more than that. Swift has proven not only that he has elite talent, but that he can adjust.
At 5-8, 204 pounds, he has gone against type as a shifty, speedy back by ditching some of the dancing and big-play hunting and sticking to running backs coach Eric Bieniemy’s directive to hit holes hard with the mentality of nothing mattering more than getting 4 1/2 yards. After that, he’s free to duck and dodge as he pleases.
“I just went out there and gave him some guidelines and expectations and challenged him, and he’s done a heck of a job,” Bieniemy said. “He does an outstanding job of just being professional, he’s very intelligent and he doesn’t take anything for granted.”
Bieniemy, the former Chiefs and Commanders offensive coordinator, usually is the loudest coach on the practice field. A clip went viral of him screaming profanity at running backs for grazing cones in a drill during rookie minicamp. Two years ago, Commanders players petitioned coach Ron Rivera to ask Bieniemy to lighten up.
Swift can take it.
“Sometimes we clash, but it’s all love and I understand where he’s coming from,” he said. “His attention to detail and how he approaches his business, and he’s been doing it at a high level for so long — I’ve got so much respect for him. He’s been great for me.”
Bieniemy also credited Swift for adapting his approach and making extra effort toward Monangai “all for the greater good of the team,” but Swift’s and the Bears’ interests are aligned. Going 5-12 last season was miserable, and now that the team has a chance to flip that record to 12-5 by beating the Lions, Swift said, “I’m very happy because we’re winning and I’m able to contribute to that.”
That should clear up his short-term future with the Bears. A repeat of last season almost certainly would’ve prompted them to use the $1.3 million out in his contract after this season, but he has played like someone who will be worth every cent of the $8.8 million he’d make next season. This version of Swift is exactly what they wanted.