D'Andre

Swift

Not only does the box score leave a lot to be desired, but it was backup running back Khalil Herbert that scored the only touchdown for the Bears after taking the goal line carries in this one. Swift struggled mightily behind an offensive line that struggled to find cohesion during the preseason, a trend that has carried forward into the first two weeks of the regular season. Either way, fantasy managers that invested a middle-round pick in the veteran back are surely wanting more after two weeks of play, to the extent that they might need to start looking for other options either through trade or on the waiver wire. Things do get easier in Week 3, however, as the Bears travel to take on the sieve-like Colts in Indianapolis.

With the Bears falling behind 17-0 in the second quarter and Caleb Williams struggling to hit the broad side of the barn, there was no such thing as “run-friendly game script” this afternoon despite Chicago somehow emerging triumphant 24-17. With Roschon Johnson healthy scratched, Swift faced zero touch competition. Khalil Herbert barely played and Velus Jones attempted to play a gadget role. With things unlikely to go quite as sideways in Week 2 against the Texans, Swift can remain locked in as a low-end RB2 as we take the measure of this offense.

Healthy or not, Johnson isn’t on the fantasy radar for Week 1. His presence on passing downs will be annoying for D’Andre Swift, who is already in a touch squeeze based on Kahlil Herbert’s role in the backfield. Chicago’s running back room is shaping up to be one of the more frustrating fantasy situations on a week-to-week basis.

Herbert and the rest of the starters played two drives for the Bears in the first quarter, with Herbert handling the early-down work while D’Andre Swift handled change of pace and clear passing down duties. Herbert’s nine touches dwarfed the one carry and one target for Swift, although Swift’s lone catch went for a 42-yard gain on a screen pass to set up a field goal. The situation appears to be fluid, but the split in work is not a good sign for Swift considering he is currently being drafted inside the top 24 running backs in fantasy drafts.

Roschon Johnson played 15. It, of course, is bad news either player was even dressed for tonight’s meaningless exhibition tilt, though the Bears have several injuries in their backfield, leaving them with limited options. Someone had to play in Canton. It is nevertheless confirmation both holdover backs are seemingly miles behind free agent addition D’Andre Swift on the depth chart, and could be left fighting for rotational reps come Week 1.

Eberflus seems high on Swift’s ability to play on any down and distance, saying Swift was somebody they needed to “operate on third down and even on first or second down and be a weapon in the deep part of the field and the short part of the field and take it the distance.” Eberflus also mentioned the possibility of splitting Swift out wide, noting that he can “run the full route tree.” Swift is in an offense that appears chock full of playmakers, with DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze all expected to see significant work in the passing game, but the Bears’ commitment to Swift (three-year, $24 million contract) suggests he’ll see plenty of work as the team’s lead back. He’s not expected to be a complete workhorse, as Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson are also expected to see touches, but for a guy currently going as a low-end RB2 in fantasy drafts, there’s a good chance Swift out-performs his ADP it what should be a much-improved Bears offense.

“I’ve been watching [Swift] since college,” said Morton, who worked under Bears OC Shane Waldron when Waldron coordinated the Seahawks’ offense. “He’s exciting to watch, man. That guy, he’s got so much ability. He’s fast, he can make guys miss and what we’re excited about now is just opening up the passing game with the backs. He’s got that opportunity to have that one-on-one matchup out of the backfield. We can get him out on empty (formation). We do a lot of empty stuff here, too, so we can move this guy all around. He can win from any spot.” Waldron’s offense didn’t exactly emphasize running back targets in Seattle. The Seahawks last year were 24th in target share to RBs (15 percent), with lead back Ken Walker seeing a meager 37 targets over 15 games. Swift, meanwhile, wasn’t an effective pass catcher last year in Philadelphia. He ranked 47th in running back yards per route run and was graded by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s 49th best pass-catching RB.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the deal includes $15.3 million guaranteed. It’s a questionable commitment in a loaded running back class for a team that already wasn’t hurting for running back depth. Swift finally stayed healthy last season as he cruised to new career highs in Philadelphia, but he was inefficient both as a rusher and pass catcher behind one of the league’s best run-blocking lines. That’s at least from an advanced metric perspective, including average rush yards over expected. From a traditional yards per carry lens, his 4.6 was fine. That’s the complaint. The positive, of course, is that Swift is a weapon-ish player capable of contributing on all three downs as the Bears ready to welcome phenom QB Caleb Williams. Swift will definitely remain in the RB2 mix in fantasy. His arrival is real bad news for Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson.

With the legal tampering period now open, Swift’s agent is free to speak with any team. The veteran running back rushed for 229-1049-5 in his lone season with the Eagles and added 39 receptions for 214 yards and one touchdown. Swift had a career year on the ground last season and averaged 16.8 touches per game. Now entering his age-25 season, Swift has plenty to offer as a dual-threat back, but shouldn’t be counted on as an every-down workhorse.

The Eagles struggled to move the ball against a battered Tampa Bay defense, which is a microcosm of the final six weeks of the Eagles’ regular season. Philadelphia dropped five of their final six games and fell to the five-seed, losing to the four-seed Buccaneers on the road in what will go down as a catastrophic fall from grace after starting the season 10-1. Swift flashed at times this season but fell victim to sporadic volume due to the presence of Kenneth Walker and watched as quarterback Jalen Hurts scored 15 rushing touchdowns to the five of Swift. He finished the 2023 season as the RB20 in PPR scoring and is likely to fall to the eighth or ninth round in redraft in the coming offseason.