Running backs are the stars of free agency this offseason with a ton of Pro Bowl-caliber backs on the open market. Those backs signed quickly as the 2024 NFL league year began and agreed to terms for big-time money. The first free agent running back to come to terms with a team was D'Andre Swift who will sign a three-year deal worth $24 million with the Chicago Bears.
Swift took his chance to cash in and did so with over $15 million guaranteed. Running backs aren’t always the first players to get paid but with the salary cap increase teams are a little more willing to break the bank for premier ball carriers.
The Bears are an interesting spot for an offensive free agent, especially with their quarterback plans still not publicly known. It is widely expected that Chicago is going to select Caleb Williams with the first pick in the NFL Draft, which means the end of Justin Fields in a Bears uniform.
Who is handing D'Andre Swift the ball doesn’t have a huge effect on the game, but it could change Chicago's offensive scheme which will in turn impact Swift's effectiveness. The Bears will probably be more run oriented if Fields remains under center, while they will likely turn to the pass more if Williams is the starter.
With that, let's get to the contract grades for D'Andre Swift's deal with the Bears.
D'Andre Swift: A-
Though it's not out of this world numbers, what Swift is signing for should be seen as a win for himself and running backs as a whole. Swift had one season with 1,000 rushing yards before hitting free agency and is four years into a career that might not last much longer than this current contract.
Regardless, Swift is the type of running back that can be relied on at any given moment. He's averaged 4.6 yards per rushing attempt in his career and totaled over 65 yards per game last season while playing in a career high 16 games.
He picked a great time to have a career year in 2023 as he led the Philadelphia Eagles in rushing yards. Swift started 15 games and posted 1,049 rushing yards on 229 carries. Swift finished fifth in the league in rushing and earned the first Pro Bowl honors of his NFL career.
Injuries forced him to miss 10 games across his first three seasons, but Swift showed his explosiveness whenever he was on the field. His 31 total touchdowns in 56 career games is indicative of the type of player he is.
Swift was drafted with high expectations but it took him awhile to meet them. Perhaps he is still on his way to doing so, but signing this contract is a good reminder that D'Andre Swift is one of the top backs in the NFL. He'll be expected to follow through with the deal and keep Chicago's running game a formidable unit.
Bears: B+
The Bears are in full rebuild mode and with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, now is the perfect time to start fresh on a new era of Chicago football. Maybe that doesn’t include dishing out over $20 million to a running back but there are worse things the Bears could have spent their money on.
A large part of Chicago's identity in recent years has been its potent rushing offense. The Bears finished with the second ranked rushing offense in the NFL last season after leading the league in 2022. A big reason why those numbers stick out is because Justin Fields led the team in rushing in each of those seasons, accounting for over 33 percent of Chicago's rushing numbers.
The Bears had a consistent running game without a bell cow back in 2023. Four different players rushed for over 350 yards and none of them carried the ball more than 132 times.
With Fields out of the picture the Bears need someone else to carry the weight in the backfield and help pace the offense. Swift is a player who doesn’t have a ton of traction on him (albeit he missed time due to injury) and is younger than the other free agent running backs. A three-year deal for him sounds reasonable and isn’t a big hit on Chicago's salary cap.
The Bears came into the offseason with more than $60 million in cap space. The main focus of Chicago's offseason is their top selection in the draft but every move that's made will be criticized. All additions to the roster, especially those through free agency, will be under a microscope.
Final thoughts
This isn’t a particularly risky move for the Bears and it was also a move they didn’t need to make. That doesn’t make it a bad deal and Chicago will certainly look smart if Swift builds off his fine 2023 season and sticks in the top five in rushing in his debut year with the Bears.
Having a ground game you can trust is something NFL teams will kill for. Depth is key in today's NFL but having a true No. 1 running back isn’t a bad thing to have either.
The only potential knock on Swift could be that he worked behind a stellar Eagles offensive line last season so it maybe wasn’t a coincidence that he had his best season yet.
Regardless, D'Andre Swift can be a No. 1 back for the Bears in 2024 and help Chicago get out of the NFL basement. A lot of eyes will be on the Bears if Caleb Williams is their starting QB. That gives Swift a chance to show why Chicago was smart in giving him the contract they gave him.
Another Pro Bowl season with 1,000-plus yards should be the goal for Swift and the Bears in 2024. Staying healthy is paramount, but performing well is crucial.
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