Through six full NFL seasons, Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift never had more than three fumbles in a single campaign. Four weeks into his seventh season, he already had two. He was also clearly benched after his third quarter miscue in Week 4 against the New York Jets, and head coach Ben Johnson didn't even try to hide it.
Red zone issues helped keep the Jets in a game the Bears otherwise dominated. But after Swift's fumble, New York got a field goal to make in a one-score game at 13-6. Against a better team, or at least one better-equipped to take full advantage of miscues that give their offense a short field, the turnover could have been a irreversible momentum changer.
Johnson has installed a culture rooted in accountability, with full buy-in from every player. While fumbles happen sometimes, they can't happen in important spots. A message was sent to everyone else when Swift did not see another carry after his fumble last Sunday.
Ben Johnson found the perfect word to describe D'Andre Swift's Week 4 fumble
During his press conference on Wednesday, Johnson was asked for his assessment of Swift's two fumbles already this season, when his career body of work is the opposite of an issue with fumbles.
"Yeah, it's very uncharacteristic", Johnson said.
Swift's first fumble of the season came in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, on a first-and-goal play at the one-yard line. The turnover was a turning point in a game where points were at a premium on a wet day at Soldier Field.
Johnson strongly credited the Vikings' defensive acumen ("that's what they do") for that fumble by Swift, even if "we cannot allow that to happen."
Then, Johnson spoke as plainly as expected about Swift's Week 4 fumble.
"I think the one last week was egregious, though", Johnson. "It's one that we can't have. There's too many times when the ball's getting away from our body, and he knows that...we just gotta tighten that up, and we'll be just fine moving forward."
Johnson seemed to suggest Swift could have more than his two fumbles early this season due to the ball getting away from his body a little too often. While something like that might be tough to always spot in the moment during a game, it surely shows up on tape when it's looked at afterward.
Read more: Week 4 was not the death knell for D'Andre Swift's 2026 fantasy value
Fumbles in two of the last three games hopefully aren't the start of a troubling trend for Swift, and his career track record says it won't be. While Johnson doesn't seem overly concerned about it being an ongoing issue, he also found the perfect word to describe what could've been a costly fumble against the Jets.
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