CBS Sports and NFL Network analyst Charles Davis was a recent guest on Bill Zimmerman’s Bears Banter podcast, and he had a ton to say about the Chicago Bears' draft class, head coach Ben Johnson, but he also discussed some of their returning veterans.
Chicago’s running back room has been a hot topic all offseason, and with the way it’s currently constructed, the returning D’Andre Swift seems set to remain the starter. Last year, Swift racked up a career-high 1,345 yards from scrimmage, but many fans are concerned there could be friction between him and Johnson due to how things ended for Swift in Detroit.
The Lions traded Swift after Johnson’s first year as the full-time play caller, so Zimmerman asked Davis if he thinks the two can work together.
D'Andre Swift's history with Ben Johnson has been overblown
“I think that he can, and I’m pretty sure Ben Johnson’s has already had conversations with D’Andre about how things went in Detroit and why things could be different here and what we’re looking at doing, et cetera, et cetera. Don’t forget D’Andre Swift is a couple of years removed from that as well, which means added growth, added maturity as a person, and off we go.”
Davis continued, “We saw Hard Knocks, right? [Detroit’s Hard Knocks in 2022] You watched that Hard Knocks and you saw Deuce Staley, who’s one of the best coaches in the league, but Deuce is much more tough love than he is anything else, right? He’s gonna make sure that you guys understand what’s going on, and he laid it on the line for D’Andre.”
“Now, at that age, was he totally ready for that? Maybe, maybe not. Now, at this age, he might very well have received the message a lot better than he did before.”
The full interview is a must listen or watch to get more info on the running back room, including Davis’ thoughts on rookie Kyle Monangai. Davis also talks about how he sees Cole Kmet and rookie Colston Loveland complementing each other, the revamped offensive line, the defense, plus what he expects from Caleb Williams.
You can check it out in the embed below or on all podcast platforms.
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