Bears coach Ben Johnson gets peppered constantly about whether he and quarterback Caleb Williams are on the same wavelength. It’s understandable, given how critical their connection is.
But Johnson was, is and always will be a run-first offensive mind. With the utmost craftsmanship, he pours himself into studying and designing run plays. And for those plays to click, much like with Williams in the passing attack, Johnson and his running back must share a vision.
Which brings us to the curious case of how D’Andre Swift went from being a player the Lions traded away when Johnson was their offensive coordinator to an indispensable piece for Johnson’s Bears.
Neither Swift nor Johnson has ever shared much about the parting of ways in Detroit in 2023 — Swift is quiet in general — but in their fifth season together, it’s clear the two have merged mentally. Swift has gifts Johnson wants to magnify. Johnson’s plays work best if Swift follows them.
Johnson said Monday he’s confident in how Swift sees plays, evidence of lockstep thinking that Swift demonstrated Sunday in the Bears’ 59-37 victory as he shredded the Panthers for one of the top 10 games of his career: 124 yards and three touchdowns on just 18 carries.
“[There were] some things that came up in the game that aren’t exactly how we coach it,” Johnson said. “Yet when I watch it, I see his perspective. ‘I would like you to cut it up there, but I see the [open space] that you’re seeing, so I understand why you bounced [outside] instead.’
“There’s a lot of back and forth, and the more we’re together and the more we talk through it, the better we’re going to be.”
Swift was tremendous last season, with a career-high 1,087 yards rushing, and is off to a fantastic start in this one, so the partnership certainly is headed in the right direction. Johnson said Swift’s work ethic is “exactly what we want to be about.”
However, it was logical to be skeptical about this pairing when the Bears hired Johnson in January 2025. As the Lions’ coordinator, he’d moved on to Jahmyr Gibbs at running back and created an overwhelming rushing attack around Gibbs and David Montgomery. Swift made the Pro Bowl in his only season with the Eagles, then landed a hefty free-agent deal from the Bears under the previous coaching staff. After his career-low 3.8 yards per carry in 2024, the outlook was cloudy at best on him reuniting with Johnson.
Yet there seemed to be a reckoning among Swift, Johnson and former running backs coach Eric Bieniemy. Swift had looked too shifty, too prone to running horizontally while hunting big plays behind a bad offensive line — until Bieniemy sharpened him with his mantra to “get 4½ yards” first, then look for more.
Johnson shares Swift’s belief that every play call can turn into a touchdown.
“He’s willing to go for those hard yards,” Johnson said with pride Sunday after a game in which Swift lost yardage on only one carry.
Swift maintains his history with Johnson has been all positive and frequently has characterized Johnson as a brilliant play designer with a tenacious personality. On Friday, after signing a three-year, $33.8 million extension that begins next season, Swift expressed how thankful he was “to stick around this group of guys . . . and work alongside Ben.”
Do they understand each other better now compared to four years ago in Detroit?
“That’s a good way to put it,” Swift said. “I take a lot of pride in making sure my coach is able to trust me.”
That’s uncommon humility for such a talented player. Had the Bears cut Swift this year to save salary-cap money, he would have found a new home in a minute — everyone in the NFL knows how good he is. But he and Johnson know something, too: how much they can elevate each other. And that makes bending toward the other completely worth it.