The Chicago Bears had a top-five offense in Ben Johnson’s first year as head coach, and it played a key role in the team’s success going from worst to first with an 11-6 record, winning the NFC North and defeating the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card playoffs.
While quarterback Caleb Williams and his array of weapons, including Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, garnered plenty of attention, the run game also played an important role in the offense’s success. Chicago had a top-three rushing attack with the 1-2 punch of D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai, where Swift had a resurgence with a 1,000-yard season after being reunited with Johnson.
When discussing Swift’s role on offense last season, Johnson admitted that he could get the running back involved a little more in the passing game. But he also explained why Swift is “vital” to how the offense operates.
“We certainly could target him more in the passing game, but there’s probably a number of guys I could say that for as well,” Johnson said. “But he’s a dynamic player. I’ve known that about him since he came into the league, firsthand up there in Detroit, and certainly last year I wasn’t surprised about the year he had. So, is he capable of more? Absolutely. He absolutely is. And he’s a vital part of what we do here.”
The Bears have a lot of moving parts on offense, and a lot of mouths to feed with the ball. And while there’s been an emphasis on the passing attack with Williams and his cast of weapons, the run game will always remain crucial to the success of a Ben Johnson offense. After a resurgent season in 2025, the best might be yet to come for Swift in Chicago.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson explains why D’Andre Swift is ‘vital’ to Bears offense
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
