The Chicago Bears had a transformative offseason in 2024, reshaping their roster in ways that could finally set them up to return to playoff contention as soon as this season.
But not every move the Bears made this offseason was met with glowing reviews.
ESPN recently graded every team's offseason, and while the Bears came away with a strong B+ overall grade, there was one move that had them scratching their heads.
Seth Walder explains why the Bears overpaid for running back D'Andre Swift, and might have made a mistake by cutting ties with guard Cody Whitehair:
"I didn't love the way the Bears rushed to sign Swift for $14 million fully guaranteed when he was coming off a season when he recorded minus-65 rush yards over expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats," Walder wrote. "The Bears cut guard Cody Whitehair -- who signed with the Raiders on an inexpensive deal -- despite him finishing sixth in pass block win rate last season."
The Bears made some additions to the interior of their offensive line that should offset the loss of Whitehair, and while the addition of Swift does seem a bit puzzling, he's proven to be an explosive playmaker when healthy throughout his career so far.
To check out ESPN's full article grading every NFL team's offseason in 2024, click here.
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