d’andre swift – Syndication Server

TikTok video shows how D’Andre Swift’s glaring lack of vision has dramatically hindered the Bears’ running game

D’Andre Swift has easily been one of the biggest free agent busts this year.

Through three games this NFL season, the Chicago Bears have one of the league’s worst rushing offenses, bar none.

Chicago runners have combined for just 218 total yards while averaging an anemic three yards per carry. That’s good for 31st in the league on both counts. This utter lack of a running game has been a considerable detriment to Caleb Williams during his rookie season, as he’s been expected to put the Bears’ offense on his back much more often than the team initially hoped.

While it’s not necessarily all his fault, 2024 free agent addition D’Andre Swift might deserve the most blame for the Bears’ rushing offense’s struggles.

A new TikTok demonstrates how Swift continually ignores (or doesn’t see?) massive rushing lanes while running into defenders’ contact and … into his own teammates. It makes you reasonably think that if the Bears commit to another full-time starter, their rushing attack might not look this bad.

Watch on TikTok

To be fair to Swift, it’s easier to see these kinds of open rushing lanes from an overhead view on film. When it’s happening in real time, everything is moving lightning-fast. It also doesn’t help that the Bears’ offensive line, especially on the interior, has mostly been a net negative so far.

However, Swift is a professional in the NFL.

He’s expected to see these lanes and use them. It is the bare minimum of his job responsibility. Because it’s clear that even awful offensive lines can sometimes give their running backs a good chance to make something out of a play. Much less talented running backs do so all the time. Full stop.

The Bears host the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday. And they likely already knew about Swift’s issues before this TikTok came out. Here’s a good hunch that Swift will be benched before Chicago leaves September.

Rams’ struggling run defense gets a break against abysmal Bears rushing attack

The Rams are near the bottom in the NFL as a run defense, but the Bears’ ground game has been equally bad

As promising as the Los Angeles Rams’ new-look pass rush has been through three games, the run defense isn’t enjoying the same level of success. In fact, the Rams are among the worst teams in the NFL against the run, which isn’t terribly surprising after facing the Lions, Cardinals and 49ers in the first three weeks.

It’s obviously worrisome with Josh Jacobs, Kenneth Walker, De’Von Achane, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara, James Cook, Breece Hall and likely Christian McCaffrey still on the schedule, but there is a bit of good news this week. The Rams will be going up against one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL on Sunday.

In fact, it might even be a stretch to call the Bears’ ground game an “attack.” That’s how bad D’Andre Swift and Chicago’s entire backfield has been through three weeks.

Chicago ranks 31st in rushing yards and 31st in yards per carry this season. When you dive deeper, the advanced stats tell a similar story. The Bears rank 30th in the NFL in rush EPA (expected points added) at -0.252, only better than the putrid Raiders and a Dolphins offense that has no threat of a passing game without Tua Tagovailoa.

Defensively, the Rams are allowing 0.061 EPA on the ground, which is also third-worst in the NFL. So this is a matchup between the third-worst rushing offense and the third-worst run defense.

As they say, something’s got to give.

Even with the Rams struggling to stop the run, this matchup favors Chris Shula’s group. D’Andre Swift has been atrocious behind a Bears offensive line that’s had trouble creating running lanes. On the season, he’s carried it 37 times for a total of 68 yards. He’s picked up one first down. One.

If his 1.8 yards per carry doesn’t look bad enough, this will make it even worse: His longest carry is 20 yards, which means he’s gained 48 yards on his other 36 rushes. That’s 1.3 yards per carry, an absurdly low average.

Of the Bears’ 218 rushing yards this season, 67 have been by quarterback Caleb Williams. If you exclude rushes by Williams and the Bears’ wideouts, their running backs have carried it 56 times for 130 yards, a measly 2.3 yards per carry.

In other words, if the Rams can’t stop the Bears’ ground game, they might not be able to stop anyone this season.

Sunday’s game is a perfect get-right opportunity for the Rams’ run defense. They don’t have David Montgomery or Jahmyr Gibbs to worry about. There’s no James Conner in the backfield, nor is there the threat of Kyler Murray running the ball. As athletic as Williams is, he’s no Kyler.

There’s no excuse if Los Angeles can’t slow down one of the game’s worst rushing attacks.

The Bears ran a Caleb Williams option with D’Andre Swift on an incredibly foolish 4th-down play call

This Bears’ fourth-down play call was so stupid. Even for them.

To say the Chicago Bears offense has been anemic to start the 2024 season would be an understatement. At the time of this writing, Chicago has just one offensive touchdown through almost 11 quarters of play. Meanwhile, Caleb Williams has been pressing, and the Bears offensive line can’t block to save its life.

Well, we shouldn’t overlook new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s culpability in this disastrous mix. We saw an excellent example of this with the Bears facing a fourth-and-goal late in the first half against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Rather than perhaps run some misdirection or have Williams roll out with a quick-timing play, Waldron had the Bears run … an option with Williams and running back D’Andre Swift. On fourth and short. From the goal line. Obviously, it didn’t go anywhere.

Truly, it’s one of the more foolish play calls I’ve seen in a while:

Yeah this 4th down call lol pic.twitter.com/tdlo3zpEsr

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 22, 2024

Only the Bears could pull off this complete lack of rhythm and synchronization and somehow make it look even worse with their play calls. Seriously, an option on fourth down? What are we doing, folks?

Fantasy football: Where to draft Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift

Analyzing Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift’s 2024 fantasy football ADP and where to target him in fantasy drafts.

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Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift will be playing for his 3rd team in as many seasons, but since entering the league in 2020, Swift has been an impressive multi-use back. He ran for over 500 yards and received for over 200 in each of his 4 seasons. Swift earned his first Pro Bowl appearance last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Below, we look at D’Andre Swift’s 2024 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.

Entering 2024, Swift is expected to lead the Bears’ backfield and should be the go-to option for what could be a surprisingly efficient offense. Ideally, Swift will be a top-5 fantasy back. The 25-year-old is intriguing in terms of fantasy value.

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D’Andre Swift’s ADP: 61.76

(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)

Swift has an ADP of 61.76 in redraft leagues, which puts him in the range of the 4th to 6th round, depending on the size of the league. His ADP is lower than his teammate DJ Moore‘s (37.01), though.

Among RBs, Swift’s ADP puts him 21st at the position, behind the likes of James Conner (Arizona Cardinals, 52.21), David Montgomery (Detroit Lions, 52.49) and Rhamondre Stevenson (New England Patriots, 56.37), and slightly ahead of Zamir White (Las Vegas Raiders, 63.55), Raheem Mostert (Miami Dolphins, 63.36), and Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers, 66.09).

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D’Andre Swift’s 2023-24 stats

Games: 16

Carries | rushing yards: 229 | 1,049

Rushing touchdowns: 5

Receptions | receiving yards: 39 | 214

Receiving touchdowns: 1

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Where should you draft Swift?

Swift’s fantasy value should get a boost this year from the mix of having both ample carries and targets. Swift has either been a true RB in his career or a makeshift receiver. In his first 3 seasons in the NFL, Swift had 55-plus targets and 45-plus receptions in each.

Last season with the Eagles, he was more of a rusher, having a career-high 229 carries. This season, he should get the best of both worlds, as he could be a 3-down back and have the bulk of the carries. He’ll also be a nice outlet for rookie QB Caleb Williams. If Williams can develop rapidly and make the Bears a competent offense, Swift becomes a reliable RB1.

RB Khalil Herbert is the backup, but he may not get fed much with Swift primed to take the bulk of the offensive load in the backfield. Swift was on just 58% of the offensive snaps for Philadelphia last season and finished as the 23rd-best fantasy back. If he gets to 70%+, then there’s no reason he can’t finish in the top 15 backs, especially with an ability to receive at a high level.

Draft Swift in the late 5th round of PPR leagues, and feel free to let him draft in the early 6th round of standard leagues. He should see the majority of backfield snaps in Chicago and notch 800-plus rushing yards and 300-plus receiving yards. He’s more valuable in PPR formats due to his receiving ability.

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Fantasy football preview: Chicago Bears running backs

Will there be a three-way attack from the Chicago backfield?

With the selection of quarterback Caleb Williams, combined with the additions of wide receivers Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, excitement surrounding the Chicago Bears offense might be at its high point in franchise history. While that level of optimism is understandable, let’s not get too carried away with the idea that the Bears, which featured the No. 2 rushing offense in the NFL last year, are simply going to put everything on Williams’ shoulders from Week 1 on.

Granted, former QB Justin Fields, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, was a big part of the team’s success on the ground, but it’s a commonly held belief around the league that defense and a strong running game are a young quarterback’s best friends. Plus, while Williams won’t match Fields in terms of raw athleticism, he did run for 11 touchdowns at USC last year, so he’s not devoid of running ability.

Chicago returns two of its top three backs from 2023 with Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson while bidding adieu to D’Onta Foreman, who signed with the Cleveland Browns. The Bears hope they have found a new lead back in the form of D’Andre Swift, handing him a three-year, $24 million deal at the start of free agency. How does this trio look for fantasy owners? Let’s find out.

Bears HC Matt Eberflus hails D’Andre Swift as ‘weapon back’

The Bears have no shortage of playmakers on offense, including RB D’Andre Swift, who Matt Eberflus will be key to the offense’s success.

The Chicago Bears have no shortage of playmakers on their roster, including one of the league’s best receiver trios featuring DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.

But one of the more underrated playmakers on the roster is running back D’Andre Swift, who signed a three-year deal with Chicago this offseason.

Swift is coming off a career year with the Eagles, where he rushed for 1,049 yards with 4.6 yards per carry and five touchdowns. He also provided a threat as a pass catcher, hauling in 39 catches for 214 yards and a score. Swift earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2023.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus sang Swift’s praises as an all-around weapon out of the backfield.

“He’s very quick,” Eberflus said of Swift. “He’s a weapon out of the backfield, which is outstanding for our passing game, and it’s going to create some mismatches for us. He can do a lot of things from the backfield. He can split them out wide and run the full route tree. He’s exciting to watch.

“Just a weapon back. We really needed that guy that can really operate on third down and even on first and second down to be a weapon in the deep part of the field and the short part of the field and be able to take it the distance. He’s got a lot of gas.”

Swift will be the featured back in a running back group that also features Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson, who have both shown an ability to be playmakers.

While the Bears have a plethora of receiving talent — between receivers Moore, Allen and Odunze and tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everertt — a productive run game will be key to the offense’s success. Having a dynamic running back like Swift, both as a runner and receiver, will also be benefical for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

2024 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Running Backs

How will the strength of fantasy schedule impact RBs in 2024?

Schedule strength for running backs considers both rushing and receiving yards as today’s players rarely rely on just running production anymore. The analysis also considers the venue. There is a difference between how defenses respond either home or away, which creates 64 “different defensive matchups” depending on where the game is played.

Also see: Quarterbacks |Receivers

The scoring was a point for every 10 yards rushing or receiving, six-point touchdowns, and a point per reception. The average fantasy points allowed to running backs are at the bottom of this page for reference. Running backs prove to be most sensitive to schedule strength of any position.

Total Points

Below are the total points for each backfield according to their schedule using the averages allowed in 2023 by those defenses.

PHI	LAR	WAS	SEA	LAC	DEN	TEN	MIA	NE	MIN	TB
368	363	360	360	360	360	353	353	351	350	350
NO	CLE	BAL	NYJ	PIT	CHI	NYG	JAC	HOU	CAR
349	349	348	347	346	345	345	344	342	342
KC	BUF	DET	LV	CIN	GB	ATL	IND	ARI	DAL	SF
341	340	339	337	336	335	333	332	328	327	325

Weekly Play

Three different views are below. Week 1 to 17 is the full-season fantasy strength of schedule. “The Dorey Rule” says to draft by considering the first six weeks for a hot start. Finally, Weeks 15 to 17 represent the most common fantasy playoff weeks. “Good” games against a Top-22 venue from last year; “Bad” was when they played in one of the Bottom-22.

Week 1-17	SOS	Good	Bad	First 6	SOS	Good	Bad	Playoffs	SOS	Good	Bad
TEN	4	7	3	CLE	3	3	0	PHI	3	3	0
LAR	3	6	3	NYG	3	4	1	MIN	3	3	0
WAS	2	6	4	SEA	3	4	1	ATL	2	2	0
JAC	2	5	3	TEN	2	3	1	JAC	2	2	0
CLE	2	6	4	CHI	2	3	1	TEN	2	2	0
CHI	2	7	5	HOU	2	3	1	DEN	1	2	1
DEN	1	5	4	MIA	2	3	1	IND	1	1	0
LAC	1	7	6	LV	1	2	1	LAC	1	2	1
NYG	1	7	6	PIT	1	2	1	NE	1	1	0
HOU	1	6	5	LAR	1	2	1	SEA	1	1	0
MIA	1	6	5	JAC	0	1	1	TB	1	2	1
SEA	1	6	5	CAR	0	1	1	GB	1	1	0
PIT	0	5	5	MIN	0	1	1	KC	1	1	0
NE	0	5	5	TB	0	2	2	NO	1	2	1
PHI	0	6	6	DEN	0	2	2	CAR	0	1	1
CAR	0	4	4	KC	0	2	2	HOU	0	1	1
MIN	0	5	5	LAC	0	2	2	CHI	0	1	1
BAL	0	6	6	NE	0	2	2	CIN	0	1	1
BUF	0	5	5	SF	0	2	2	NYG	-1	1	2
NYJ	0	6	6	WAS	0	2	2	PIT	-1	0	1
DET	0	6	6	BUF	-1	0	1	BAL	-1	0	1
TB	-1	5	6	BAL	-1	2	3	BUF	-1	1	2
ATL	-1	4	5	GB	-1	1	2	LAR	-1	0	1
IND	-1	4	5	DET	-1	2	3	LV	-1	0	1
GB	-1	3	4	CIN	-2	1	3	MIA	-1	0	1
NO	-2	5	7	NO	-2	1	3	NYJ	-1	0	1
KC	-2	4	6	DAL	-2	1	3	WAS	-1	0	1
CIN	-3	4	7	IND	-2	1	3	CLE	-1	1	2
DAL	-3	4	7	PHI	-3	0	3	DAL	-2	0	2
ARI	-3	5	8	ARI	-3	1	4	DET	-2	0	2
SF	-3	5	8	NYJ	-3	1	4	ARI	-3	0	3
LV	-4	3	7	ATL	-4	0	4	SF	-3	0	3

Best schedule strength

Tyjae Spears/Tony Pollard (TEN) – The schedule is less important than installing an entirely different offensive scheme, but it is a factor. Especially when the Titans own the most advantageous set of opponents in the NFL based from last year’s stats, the O-line is still a work in progress, and the passing effort should be more productive than it has for many years. There should be fewer carries than in recent seasons, but either Tyjae Spears or Tony Pollard could surprise – if they can earn the bigger share in this committee approach post-Derrick Henry.

Kyren Williams/Blake Corum (LAR) – Kyren Williams took over in his second season and starting in Week 12, was as good as any fantasy running back in 2023. Now, he enjoys one of the best schedules with just three bad venues and a solid six best venues. It should propel Williams to being an elite back again this year, but the addition of Blake Corum potentially muddies the waters with a committee approach of some measure. But Williams’ injury history could mean Corum gets at least a few games to himself.

Austin Ekeler/Brian Robinson Jr. (WAS) – This is another situation where the offense will be all new, and the O-line is a concern. There will also be a committee involving Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson. However, the Commanders benefit from one of the lighter slates of opponents, and the backfield should profit with four of the final five fantasy games being at home. A Week 14 bye won’t help teams in large contests for their playoffs.

Travis Etienne (JAC) – The schedule is better than most, but not hugely advantageous. Facing two good venues and no bad ones during fantasy playoffs is a plus for the player who ended as the No. 3 fantasy running back last year on a team that did not bother to get any new help for the backfield.

Worst schedule strength

Zamir White/Alexander Mattison (LV) – The Raiders are installing a new offense with OC Luke Getsy from Chicago, and they lost Josh Jacobs. The addition of Alexander Mattison to the backfield isn’t encouraging and Zamir White enters his third season with a spotty resume. Throw in an NFL-worst schedule for fantasy backs and the attraction is even less. Starting in Week 6, the Raiders face seven bad venues and only one light matchup.

Christian McCaffrey (SF) – Certainly, if any back is better than his schedule, it would be Christian McCaffrey. There’s no denying how productive he is when healthy and helped many fantasy teams reach their playoffs. The 49ers get three bad venues for the fantasy playoff weeks, but McCaffrey tends to just turn into a receiver when needed.

James Conner/Trey Benson (ARI) – Conner comes off his career-best season, but he turns 30 next year, and the Cardinals snapped up the second overall running back in the NFL draft when they picked Trey Benson. It will be a committee that will most likely evolve as the season progresses and Conner always misses three or four games. Their schedule works against them with an NFL-worst eight games played at toughest venues. And it works out poorly when they start out with almost nothing but bad matchups for the first half of the season, then brighten up with four of the next five games against easier opponents. And then, back to facing three tough defenses to end their fantasy year.

Ezekiel Elliott/Rico Dowdle (DAL) – The largest concern is the quality of rushers – an aging Ezekiel Elliott is back and paired with Rico Dowdle. There’s a chance that the Cowboys will find someone, anyone, after the final cutdown, but they only get four games in easier venues and seven with the tougher opponents.

Zack Moss (CIN) – The Bengals let Joe Mixon leave for the Texans and replaced him with Zack Moss, who has never been better than the No. 31 fantasy back. Chase Brown will figure in and the backfield looks less appealing for 2024 when the schedule works against them. Their final five games after the Week 12 bye include three tough matchups and just one softer opponent in Week 17.

2024 weekly grid

Fantasy points allowed per game

These are the values from 2023 that were applied to this year’s schedule to determine strength of schedule for running backs.

DEN	@ARI	CAR	LVR	WAS	@SEA	IND	NYJ	MIA	SEA	@WAS	NYG	CIN	GB	@IND	CHI
33.9	31.9	31.2	28.3	27.8	27.6	27.4	26.9	25.4	25.3	25.0	24.9	24.8	24.7	24.6	24.4
DAL	@PIT	TEN	@NE	@LAC	@CHI	ARI	@JAC	@BUF	@NYJ	@BAL	LAC	CLE	HOU	JAC	@NYG
24.3	24.0	24.0	23.9	23.8	23.7	23.6	23.3	23.2	22.9	22.5	22.5	21.8	21.7	21.5	21.1
@KC	SF	@DEN	MIN	PHI	@LVR	@NO	@PHI	@HOU	@MIN	NO	BUF	@ATL	PIT	ATL	@CAR
21.0	20.8	20.7	20.2	20.1	19.7	19.6	19.5	19.4	19.2	19.2	19.0	18.9	18.6	18.4	18.4
@LAR	TB	@GB	@CLE	@CIN	KC	BAL	@TB	@SF	DET	@DET	NE	LAR	@TEN	@DAL	@MIA
18.3	18.3	18.2	18.0	18.0	17.6	17.4	16.8	16.2	15.9	15.6	15.4	15.0	14.1	13.6	13.5

D’Andre Swift must set the tone for Bears offense

The Bears are in need of a tone-setter on offense. D’Andre Swift might be that guy.

The Chicago Bears are trying to be a good football team in 2024. In 2022, they went 3-14 and in 2023 they went 7-10. The four-game improvement seems to have some people believing in them.

The Chicago Bears are looking to make strides in 2024. If their offseason additions to the roster pan out, they could be a winning team. There’s a lot that needs to go right for them to succeed, but they have plenty of talent on the roster.

The defense improved once Montez Sweat joined the party in the middle of last season. With the defensive-minded Matt Eberflus in the equation, they may be able to take an even bigger step in 2024.

That means that it is up to their offense to get it done. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams will take over the reins this season, and the hope is he’ll be the guy to finally deliver the Bears a long-overdue championship.

Williams will have no shortage of weapons in his rookie season, including wide receivers like DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze along with tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett.

But having a strong running game is arguably the biggest key for this offense. They need a guy who will open up space for both the receivers and quarterback, which is why they signed D’Andre Swift this offseason.

After spending the first three years of his career with the Detroit Lions, he spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Swift had a productive season, recording his first 1,000-yard rushing season.

Now, he comes to Chicago looking to build on last year’s success. Swift is a dangerous player who will work out well with this team. He can change the game with his rushing and his receiving, which is also something the Bears will benefit from moving forward.

He’ll lead a strong running back group that also features Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson. While each brings something unique to the table, Swift will be the lead back in a run game that should help Williams find success in his rookie season.

Predicting Eagles’ starting lineups for Week 1 after first wave of free agency

We’re predicting the Philadelphia Eagles starting lineups for Week 1 after the first wave of 2024 NFL Free Agency

The Eagles have retooled their roster on both sides of the football after inking DE Bryce Huff, RB Saquon Barkley, OLB Zach Baun, OL Matt Hennessy, WR DeVante Parker, S/CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson, LB Devin White, LB Oren Burks, DT PJ Mustipher, WR Parris Campbell, and CB Tyler Hall to deals during the first wave.

Philadelphia then traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett while extending Landon Dickerson and Jake Elliott.

Philadelphia currently has about $33,657,986 in cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $100+ million plus on both sides of the football.

The Eagles also have a Haason Reddick dilemma that’ll be resolved in the next week or more.

With the second wave of free agency set to begin, we’re predicting the starting lineup for Week 1 in Brazil.

Where do the Eagles rank in spending at each position after first wave of free agency?

We’re looking at where the Philadelphia Eagles rank in positional spending at each position after the first wave of NFL free agency

Philadelphia then traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett while extending Landon Dickerson and Jake Elliott.

Philadelphia currently has about $33,657,986 in cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $100+ million plus on both sides of the football. The offensive line and edge rusher positions carry the most significant cap space.

Overall positional spending has changed tremendously since Jalen Hurts signed a massive five-year, $255 million contract extension last spring.

This makes him among the four highest-paid players on average in NFL history.

The Eagles will again be a Super Bowl favorite in the NFC and have one of the most talented rosters despite being 17th in average positional spending.

Thanks to Over The Cap, here’s where Philadelphia sits in positional spending on both sides of the ball ahead of the season opener.