ESPN isn’t a fan of Bears signing RB D’Andre Swift

The 2024 NFL free agency spending spree is in full swing, The Chicago Bears were patient on Day 1 of the legal tampering period, signing just one player, running back D’Andre Swift.

Swift isn’t the only player GM Ryan Poles has added to the roster this offseason, however. He signed former Titans and Eagles safety Kevin Byard on the eve of the tampering window, and he traded for former Bills OL Ryan Bates to presumably serve as the team’s starting center in 2024.

But it’s Swift who’s garnered all of the attention so far, and it’s easy to understand why.

First, he’s a running back, and in today’s fantasy football era, transactions involving skill players on offense always get buzz. Second, he’s a running back. It’s become taboo to sign running backs to lucrative contracts in free agency, so eyebrows shoot up whenever a team steps outside the box and invests a big contract into the position.

The Chicago Bears gave Swift a three-year, $24 million contract. It’s a healthy payday. And it’s one that ESPN thinks wasn’t the best idea.

“I don’t get the urgency to pay Swift real money,” ESPN’s Seth Walder wrote. “The Bears wanting to add a running back this offseason is fine, but to justify this price Swift would have to be a difference-maker. The evidence suggests he is not. After being traded from the Lions to the Eagles last offseason, he averaged 4.6 yards per carry, but that was buoyed by a strong pass-protecting offensive line (and perhaps the threat of Jalen Hurts” legs, too).

“In fact, Swift’s yards over expectation per carry from NFL Next Gen Stats — based on the positioning and movement of all 22 players on the field at the time of the handoff — was minus-0.3. In other words, he gained less than the blocking indicated he should last season in Philadelphia. And also less than Khalil Herbert (0.3), who remains on Chicago’s roster.”

Walder gave the Swift signing a C-.

You knew this was coming, right? The post-signing grades weren’t going to be kind to the Chicago Bears, and, look, I get it.

Has D’Andre Swift been dynamic enough over his first four years in the NFL to be a priority first-wave free-agent signing? Probably not. But I think Walder misses a bigger point here.

The Bears were among the finalists for Saquon Barkley, and Chicago was undoubtedly in the mix for Josh Jacobs, too. Both of those running backs are now top-of-the-market earners, and I’m certain Ryan Poles didn’t want to pay that much for a running back. Swift’s contract numbers are above average, but they don’t break the salary cap.

Swift’s career has been somewhat slowed by situation, too. He wasn’t used properly in Detroit, and we saw just how good he can be in 2023 in an offense that used him the right way. Last year was the first season in which he had over 200 carries, and he nearly became an 1,100-yard back. Remember: He was a top-40 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft for a reason. Swift was considered a fringe-first-round running back who could be the centerpiece of an offense.

Now, he’ll have a chance to prove it in Chicago, and I think he will. I’m a big fan of the D’Andre Swift signing, and I think he’ll quickly establish next season that he’s a massive upgrade over Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson.