Much has been made about the Chicago Bears' signing of running back D'Andre Swift a year ago, especially after what we saw the likes of Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley do after signing similar deals with their new teams.
Was it a mistake for Ryan Poles to bring Swift in on a 3-year, $24 million deal? Sure, one could make that argument. But, the signing of Swift had no impact on the Bears being able to get Henry or Barkley.
By now, we know the "what if" scenario at play, here. Barkley came close to signing with Chicago. But, he didn't. Therefore, talking about it all is pretty meaningless.
Now, talking about the future of this team under head coach Ben Johnson and where exactly Swift fits into the plans? That's relevant.
Some might believe the Bears are "stuck" with Swift for the 2025 season. However, that couldn't be further from the truth.
The Bears can still cut running back D'Andre Swift and save on cap space
Just because Johnson said some nice things about Swift after being hired doesn't mean Chicago is going to stick with him in the back field. Roschon Johnson is still on the roster and might serve a key role in the future. We don't know.
If the Bears were to cut Swift, though, they'd save over half a million dollars in doing so.
As a matter of fact, if they designated him as a post-June 1 cut, the Bears would actually save just under $2 million.
So, by no means are they stuck with him. Would any team want to take him off the Bears' hands via trade? That is unlikely, but maybe it happens down the line.
This year's running back class is rich with talent, and the Bears are a candidate to come home with one in the 2025 NFL Draft. If Chicago drafts one high, then there's potential of Swift being cut or traded.
The more tape Johnson watches, the more he might even be convinced that Swift needs to go. We all know, by now, that he is only truly effective when he has near-perfect blocking in front of him. It's either that, or getting him the ball with room to run, which gives him the path to success.
If he goes up the middle and needs to forge his own path, it's not happening. More often than not, Swift will go down if he is so much as touched by a defender.
The Bears are not even close to being a finished product in the back field, and that still might entail the team moving on from Swift. They have no incentive to keep him around. In fact, it's the opposite. With savings on the table via a Swift cut, that'll continue to be a possibility for weeks and months to come.