Bears Called to Bench $24 Million Starter After Brutal Start to Season

Getty Bears running back D'Andre Swift.

The calls for the Chicago Bears to bench starting running back D’Andre Swift are getting louder heading into Week 4’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

Swift — who signed a three-year, $24 million contract in March — is off to an abysmal start from the Bears’ backfield. While he has caught 6 passes for 46 yards and a successful 2-point conversion, he has also gained just 68 net rushing yards on 37 carries, averaging an awful 1.8 yards per carry.

Swift finished with just 20 yards on 13 carries in Week 3’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, losing 12 yards on an ill-designed speed-option play out of the shotgun on fourth-and-goal.

The game hadn’t even finished before Bears media and fans alike started questioning whether the team should bench Swift from his role as Chicago’s lead running back.

“D’Andre Swift is averaging 0.8 yards on 8 carries with a long of four yards today,” CBS Sports’ Matt Eurich wrote on X during the game. “Just bench him.”

“[The] Bears need to try benching Swift for a week and see how much that helps the run game — and thus the whole offense — get back on track,” DaBearsBlog’s Jonathan Wood wrote on X. “Rule him out with an injury (everybody is dinged up at this point) and see what happens.”

“Make RoJo [Roschon Johnson] RB1, let Swift sit on the bench and think about how bad he is,” one Bears fan wrote on X. “Take the dead cap and cut him after this year. He is unbelievably bad.”

“And I’m all for D’Andre Swift being buried at the far end of the Bears bench,” another fan wrote.

Did Bears Whiff With D’Andre Swift Signing in 2024?

The Bears wasted no time signing Swift in 2024 free agency. They made him their first signing of the offseason when they agreed to terms with him on a $24 million contract on the first day of the legal tampering period on March 11, believing they had secured a “weapon back” — as head coach Matt Eberflus called him — for their growing offense.

Did the Bears make a mistake pouncing on Swift as quickly as they did, though?

The Bears did not lack other viable lead-back options with Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard all available in free agency. While Barkley and Jacobs earned at least $12 million annually with their respective teams, Henry signed with the Ravens for the same annual value and less guaranteed money than Swift.

Each of the four running backs has also already had a game this season in which they gained more rushing yards than Swift has managed in three total games for the Bears, adding insult to injury for a team that had the cap space to spend bigger at the position.

The Bears’ offensive line shares some of the blame for Swift’s lack of success because poor run-blocking has closed rushing gaps quickly — or kept them from opening at all — on numerous occasions for Swift.

According to Next Gen Stats, though, Swift has 83 rushing yards below expected, which is a stat that tracks the difference between yards gained and yards expected on a specific play. He ranks last in the category, with 23 yards between him and the next closest back.

The Bears still have 14 more games to determine whether they made a mistake signing Swift, but the early returns suggested he is one of the front office’s biggest whiffs.

Roschon Johnson Showed Promise in Loss to Colts

The Bears have the second-worst rushing offense (72.7 yards per game) through the first three games of the season, a reality that is harder to swallow when juxtaposed with the fact that the Bears finished with the second-best rushing offense (141.1) last season. While the line and offensive playcalling are complicit in the team’s shortcomings, Swift is the primary culprit for the team’s ineffectiveness in the run game so far in 2024.

So, is it time for the Bears to pass the baton to Johnson, a 2023 fourth-round pick?

After a healthy scratch in Week 1 and no carries in Week 2, Johnson rushed eight times for a team-high 30 yards (3.8 yards per carry) in the 21-16 loss to the Colts last Sunday. He also caught four of his five passing targets for 32 yards, showcasing a pass-catching element of his game that proved to be one of his strengths as a rookie in 2023.

It is unclear what has caused the Bears to push both Johnson and 2023 starter Khalil Herbert into lesser roles, but Swift’s consistent struggles through three games suggest it could be time for them to shake things up. While Herbert is the more experienced back, Johnson has three years left on his contract and has the potential to be a breakout star for the Bears if they commit to giving him regular touches out of their backfield.

The Bears do not need to give up completely on Swift, but for the sake of their offense — and the development of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams — it could be in their best interest to find a more even balance between Johnson and Swift in their rotation.