Windy City Gridiron
In this series, we will look at which Chicago Bears players need to step up their play to match their pay in 2025.
Expectations are a tricky thing. One of the safest ways to fan over the years is to set the bar low and not expect much from your team. We Chicago Bears fans know this well. I couldn’t help but think of one of the all-time great MADtv skits as I began this series. Let’s be honest, these actually were mostly terrible, but the point remains. Expectations are key!
However, with Ben Johnson now calling the shots in Chi-town and Caleb Williams under center, times are looking up for The Beloved. With over $64 million in cap space and 4 picks in the top 75 of this upcoming NFL Draft, Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles has plenty of resources at his disposal to improve the team moving forward. But what about the players currently under contract? In this series, we will highlight ten players who need to step up their play to justify their contract while simultaneously helping the team win more games.
Next up at #3 we have RB, D’Andre Swift.
The former Detroit Lion has the 6th highest cap number for the 2025 Chicago Bears at $9,303,333. That is a top 10 number league-wide for Running Backs in 2025, just behind names like Christian McCaffery and Joe Mixon and ahead of names like Tony Pollard (whom I preferred last offseason) and former Bear David Montgomery. Though he did rank 18th in total yards from scrimmage last season with 1,345, D’Andre Swift is going to need to build on his efficiency in year two with Chicago.
Sounds like Ben Johnson is eager to have him though, so all that speculation that he would be cut or traded can fly out the window now.
In his one full season of Ben Johnson as his OC, Swift put up 542 rush yards on 99 carries (5.5 avg) and 48 catches for 389 yards with 8 total TDs. His highest average per carry ark of his career, and his 3 receiving touchdowns were the most of his career as well. I expect his carries to decrease from the 253 he had in Chicago last season while his targets (52) to increase. This should keep him fresher and give him a better chance of making impact plays with his new coach and play caller. He might not be as explosive as Jahmyr Gibbs, but I fully expect him to take on a similar “Sonic” role in the Chicago backfield in 2025.
In the end, I expect Swift to remain with the team for the duration of his contract and be a viable and consistent weapon for The Beloved before riding off into the sunset with another team while the Bears re-stock their backfield. Ultimately, living up to his contract, though, still could mean never quite winning the fan base over in Chicago.
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