Now just two yards short of matching his career high of 1,049 rushing yards that he set with the Eagles in 2023, Swift leads a Bears rushing attack coached by Eric Bieniemy that ranks third in the NFL with an average of 149.4 yards per game. Swift is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, surpassing Bieniemy’s expectation that his backs average 4.5 yards per attempt.
“This is the player I’ve always thought he could be and really has been in spurts over the course of his career,” coach Ben Johnson said Dec. 26. “He’s just been very consistent. He’s very deliberate with what he’s doing. I think Eric Bieniemy’s done a fantastic job with him. You guys see EB out there — this is a very demanding coach … Swifty’s always had this ability. I saw it firsthand when he was a rookie, all the way til now. None of it surprises me. Not one iota.”
Swift’s resurgence this season is no coincidence.
A self-motivated individual, Swift approached this past offseason hungry for improvement and success. Then came the reunion with Ben Johnson, Bieniemy’s hiring and the acquisitions of interior offensive linemen Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson.
“That showed how [general manager Ryan] Poles and Ben saw this offense going forward,” Swift said. “When I saw those signings, you can tell the trajectory that the team is going, that they want the team to go in. So that was big, man. And then it was just everybody gelling together. New guys, new schemes. So I knew it was only a matter of time until everybody started clicking.”
From Swift’s perspective, the “click” happened after the Bears’ Week 5 bye. Through their first four games, Swift said that the run game wasn’t where anyone wanted it to be, averaging 102 yards per game. Small details prohibited success. But since that break, the rushing attack has been firing on all cylinders, averaging 165 yards per game.
Swift likened the growth process to that of any new relationship. With time comes trust, and once the trust becomes unbreakable, he believes “the relationship starts to flourish.”
“Identity starts with the guys up front, and I feel like when you’re talking about being in a running back room, we don’t get talked about if they’re not doing their job up front,” Swift said. “They’ve done a heck of a job all season. [Offensive line] coach Dan [Roushar] and everybody in that room, everybody that’s contributed to our success, man, when they do their job, they make our job easier. So, I can’t thank them enough. I go as they go.”
