Bears' D'Andre Swift signing quickly got even better thanks to Tony Pollard

As soon as NFL free agency opened up on Monday, the Chicago Bears wasted no time.

General manager Ryan Poles didn't address the position everybody thought he would initially, but instead went after signing a running back.

The Bears agreed to a 3-year contract with former Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift, who comes back to the NFC North after originally being drafted by the Detroit Lions back in 2020.

As Bears fans love to do, many of them immediately criticized the move. And, to be fair, some of them might have a point. The running back position is not a position teams have made a habit of paying in recent years.

But, just minutes after the Swift news was announced, another running back signed the exact same contract.

The Bears will end up having the best running back signing of free agency

The Tennessee Titans gave former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard a 3-year, $24 million contract as well. Now, for context, let's lay out the facts for a moment.

First of all, the 2024 NFL Draft class is a weaker running back class. There is no running back that will go in the first round, and maybe not even until the late second round will we see one selected.

Secondly, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs are likely to get more money at this point (and by now, they could have).

But let's compare Pollard and Swift for a minute, just to put fans at ease.

2023 side by side

Take a look at some quick numbers, and you'll find that Pollard was, indeed, the massive overpay here. The 4.0 yards per carry used to be the bar, but now, it's seen as a pretty unimpressive number. Swift's 4.6 yards per carry are more in line with what teams should be expecting with the way offenses have changed over the last decade or so.

Also take into consideration the fact that Swift just turned 25 years old in January. Pollard, meanwhile, will turn 27 years old in April. Two years might as well be five when you're talking about the running back position.

And, believe it or not, Pollard also has roughly 170 more career carries than Swift. The Bears made the right signing, all things considered. While Jacobs and Barkley were the bigger names, they've also had far more usage over their careers.

The Bears will use Swift as their primary back, but now the team has three capable backs just as they did a year ago. Swift, though, is a more dynamic player than anyone they had on the roster in 2023.

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