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The Chicago Bears dropped a lot of money and draft capital to revamp their offense this offseason, but whether all of it was well-spent is a matter for discussion.
Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report compiled a list of the most overpaid NFL players at each position on Thursday, August 29. As a part of that group, he named the $24 million contract the Bears gave Pro Bowl running back D’Andre Swift over a three-year stretch as the worst of its kind in the league.
“While Swift enjoyed a successful 2023 in Philadelphia, he’s never played a full 17-game NFL season and his production last fall could largely be contributed to an Eagles front five widely regarded as one of the best in football,” Fowler wrote. “Swift will start as the lead back in Chicago, but it remains a question if he can replicate his success behind a weaker offensive line.”
Another factor in the argument is that both Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert remain on the depth chart and are playing on inexpensive rookie deals. Fowler noted that the two combined for nearly 1,000 rushing yards in 2023.
As such, paying Swift $8 million annually also creates an opportunity cost in the loss of carries and subsequent production from both Johnson and Herbert, who are each near the same age as Swift (Herbert is one year older, while Johnson is two years younger) and playing on more team-friendly contracts.
D’Andre Swift Produced Career Year as Rusher With Eagles in 2023
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GettyRunning back D’Andre Swift of the Chicago Bears.
The other side of the argument is that Swift is just 25 years old and coming off a career year.
He rushed the ball a career-high 229 times for a career-high 1,049 yards and scored 5 rushing TDs, which is tied for the second-highest mark of his four-year NFL tenure. Swift maintained a respectable yards per carry average of 4.6 in 2023, though he produced career-lows as a receiver out of the backfield with 39 receptions for 214 yards and 1 TD, per Pro Football Reference.
Swift made his first Pro Bowl in 2023 and his numbers suggest he’s still trending up as a player. Beyond that, the Bears’ offensive line should theoretically be better this season than it was during the last — with another year of development for tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, as well as an upgrade at center from Lucas Patrick to either Coleman Shelton or Ryan Bates.
Bears’ Revamped Passing Game Could Cut Into Value of D’Andre Swift
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GettyChicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
However, Chicago probably doesn’t have a world-beating offensive line even if everything goes right and everyone stays healthy. Beyond that, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the bevy of pass-catchers with whom the Bears have surrounded him have the makings of a potent attack.
That might mean Swift recaptures some of his production in the passing game from previous years when he was a member of the Detroit Lions, with whom he caught 156 passes for 1,198 receiving yards and 7 TDs. However, it would likely decrease his production as a rusher simply due to a lesser number of total carries.
Consistent play leading to a reasonable level of usage on the part of either Johnson, Herbert or both would only eat into Swift’s overall production further, rendering his contract less ideal.
