Bears sign RB D'Andre Swift to 3yr, $24M contract

[malk]

I think he's our Kenneth Walker III

I think Roschon Johnson will be our (slower) Zach Charbonnet but could be RB3

Curious what the role will be for Khalil Herbert...

Still…I guess?

Averages about 600 yards a season…about the same YPG and YPC as Herbert.

He’s a better receiver out of the backfield and averages more touchdowns per year. So that’s good. Ranks worse than Herbert as a blocker.

I don’t know what moves the needle here, other than he’s Herbert without the injury.

The receiving must be the biggest element here? Spending on a running back and another TE with catching ability did make me think they've looked at the receiver market and thought oof, let's find those receptions elsewhere!

Looking at season average takes out the significant uptick from Swift's most recent year. Obviously that's down to carries but it was done with good yards per attempt and he's shown he's up to it.

The apparent poor pass blocking is a concern but hopefully Waldron has a plan to mitigate that... and I guess if he was a good pass blocker on top of being a good rusher and receiver he'd be costing more than he did.

[Bearfacts]

I think every year or every other year you should be drafting a back and scraping the udfa pile for backs. Build your line, invest in your pass catchers and churn thru a stable of back. Just how I would do it. Backs are too easily replaced

5 of the very first FA signings were backs.

Maybe the era of the RB is returning if only just a little.

I watched some video of Swift and I like what I saw. He's different style runner than anyone we have. Very quick burst to the line and some shifty elusiveness he can pull off while accelerating or at full speed. He can help. We are gonna have to replace Herbert anyway so maybe we trade him this summer or fall or he leaves in FA next spring. Swift seems to be hitting his peak as runner.

[G08]

I think he's our Kenneth Walker III

I think Roschon Johnson will be our (slower) Zach Charbonnet but could be RB3

Curious what the role will be for Khalil Herbert...

Still…I guess?

Averages about 600 yards a season…about the same YPG and YPC as Herbert.

He’s a better receiver out of the backfield and averages more touchdowns per year. So that’s good. Ranks worse than Herbert as a blocker.

I don’t know what moves the needle here, other than he’s Herbert without the injury.

What moves the needle for me would be his athleticism (speed, quickness, shiftiness) and versatility out of the backfield.

Herbert is a notch below in those areas. For example, I don't ever see flexing Herbert into the slot and utilizing him as a viable receiving threat. With D'Andre Swift, I do.

12 personnel quickly turns into a passing formation with Swift in the backfield (Moore, WR2, Evertt and Swift at WR, Kmet as well or keep him in-line to block, etc). It creates wonderful matchup problems for Waldron and the offense to exploit.

If he can stay healthy (big IF) I think he's going to have a heck of a year for us (1,600+ total yards rushing and receiving if we use him like Christian McCaffrey).

[dplank]

Still…I guess?

Averages about 600 yards a season…about the same YPG and YPC as Herbert.

He’s a better receiver out of the backfield and averages more touchdowns per year. So that’s good. Ranks worse than Herbert as a blocker.

I don’t know what moves the needle here, other than he’s Herbert without the injury.

What moves the needle for me would be his athleticism (speed, quickness, shiftiness) and versatility out of the backfield.

Herbert is a notch below in those areas. For example, I don't ever see flexing Herbert into the slot and utilizing him as a viable receiving threat. With D'Andre Swift, I do.

12 personnel quickly turns into a passing formation with Swift in the backfield (Moore, WR2, Evertt and Swift at WR, Kmet as well or keep him in-line to block, etc). It creates wonderful matchup problems for Waldron and the offense to exploit.

If he can stay healthy (big IF) I think he's going to have a heck of a year for us (1,600+ total yards rushing and receiving if we use him like Christian McCaffrey).

Agree here, the more I ponder this signing the more I actually like it. Part of that is because I've never been a believer in Herbert, I felt his success was driven by Fields presence and the attention he got from the defense. I think Swift is a significantly better player, and as you note a much bigger weapon in the pass game. He and Roschon make a nice 1-2 punch. Herbert is a really nice insurance policy.

Also worth noting here, Poles was in front of the trend. The guy just knows what he's doing. No one saw a big FA RB run to start of the NFL season - none of these pundits predicted that shit. But Poles struck fast and if he hadn't then he'd be gone. What seemed odd to us in the moment, looks really smart in retrospect IMO. It gives me hope that he's going to solve the DL issue one way or another, he has a plan.

[G08]

What moves the needle for me would be his athleticism (speed, quickness, shiftiness) and versatility out of the backfield.

Herbert is a notch below in those areas. For example, I don't ever see flexing Herbert into the slot and utilizing him as a viable receiving threat. With D'Andre Swift, I do.

12 personnel quickly turns into a passing formation with Swift in the backfield (Moore, WR2, Evertt and Swift at WR, Kmet as well or keep him in-line to block, etc). It creates wonderful matchup problems for Waldron and the offense to exploit.

If he can stay healthy (big IF) I think he's going to have a heck of a year for us (1,600+ total yards rushing and receiving if we use him like Christian McCaffrey).

Agree here, the more I ponder this signing the more I actually like it. Part of that is because I've never been a believer in Herbert, I felt his success was driven by Fields presence and the attention he got from the defense. I think Swift is a significantly better player, and as you note a much bigger weapon in the pass game. He and Roschon make a nice 1-2 punch. Herbert is a really nice insurance policy.

Also worth noting here, Poles was in front of the trend. The guy just knows what he's doing. No one saw a big FA RB run to start of the NFL season - none of these pundits predicted that shit. But Poles struck fast and if he hadn't then he'd be gone. What seemed odd to us in the moment, looks really smart in retrospect IMO. It gives me hope that he's going to solve the DL issue one way or another, he has a plan.

He's very calculated and measured in what he's doing; it's so much easier said than done.

I don't think we are necessarily "all in" at this point in time, I do think if we make the playoffs this season you'll see massive spending in 2025 to shore up obvious pain points. I sincerely do hope that Gervon Dexter takes a major step this season, having a 2nd round pick contract kicking ass at 3T in this defense would be a dream.

[dplank]

I wouldn't write off Pickens either, he should make a jump next year. We're going to need him to.

[G08]

True but he doesn't look like this!

[dplank]

Holy mother of god that dude is a monster

[Z Bear]

I am thoroughly disappointed that he did not jump out of the pool at the end.

[Yogi da Bear]

On Swift's blocking, I don't trust PFF. Like at all. So I went to back to look at Swift's mistakes in blocking. I couldn't find any. Not one. You know why? Because I couldn't find a single instance of him blocking at all. He either carried out a RPO as a fake or he went out into pattern. I couldn't find one block, one way or the other. Maybe that's because he's shitting at blocking and the Eagles don't ask him to do it or maybe it's because he's most effective as an outlet or decoy. Who knows? But for the life of me, I don't understand how PFF could have a reasonable sample size to even give him a grade.

[malk]

True but he doesn't look like this!

Someone tell his PR to cut out the boxing clips! He had more explosion lifting heavy weights than he did moving those gloves, oof!

[The Kaiser]

Someone tell his PR to cut out the boxing clips! He had more explosion lifting heavy weights than he did moving those gloves, oof!

It's kind of true and I actually shared Gervon's tweet in another thread myself.

But truth be told, although he's a physical monster, his hype video leaves something to be desired when it comes to fast hands, explosion, lateral agility, and overall fluidity.

He still looks somewhat, dare I say, oafish? Hopefully it's just the poor edits.

[Moriarty]

[G08]

On Swift's blocking, I don't trust PFF. Like at all. So I went to back to look at Swift's mistakes in blocking. I couldn't find any. Not one. You know why? Because I couldn't find a single instance of him blocking at all. He either carried out a RPO as a fake or he went out into pattern. I couldn't find one block, one way or the other. Maybe that's because he's shitting at blocking and the Eagles don't ask him to do it or maybe it's because he's most effective as an outlet or decoy. Who knows? But for the life of me, I don't understand how PFF could have a reasonable sample size to even give him a grade.

I heard an analyst say that Waldron's offense doesn't require much blocking from RBs, which I thought was kind of weird.

Maybe they just run hot and the back is expected to release into the flat for checkdowns. I'm annoyed at myself for not focusing more on that while watching Waldron's coordinated games.

[G08]

Holy mother of god that dude is a monster

Where's his chest though? HIT THE BENCH PRESS SON

[G08]

If this kid is a hit and we draft Dallas Turner at #9...

Turner/Billings/Dexter/Sweat


Jesus fuck, have fun with that!

[HisRoyalSweetness]

I couldn't find a Dexter presser, so here's one from the RB the Bears just signed:

[TheWorldBreaker]

Someone tell his PR to cut out the boxing clips! He had more explosion lifting heavy weights than he did moving those gloves, oof!

It's kind of true and I actually shared Gervon's tweet in another thread myself.

But truth be told, although he's a physical monster, his hype video leaves something to be desired when it comes to fast hands, explosion, lateral agility, and overall fluidity.

He still looks somewhat, dare I say, oafish? Hopefully it's just the poor edits.

Hopefully, he’s not gearing up for a professional boxing match. So he might have no experience in boxing and is taking it up to improve his hand speed and eye and hand coordination in hopes him with football.

I don’t see the point in criticizing how he looks when he’s probably just starting to learn.

[wab]

How did a thread about Swift turn into a thread with a shirtless pic of Gervon Dexter?

[LacertineForest]

How did a thread about Swift turn into a thread with a shirtless pic of Gervon Dexter?

[RichH55]

How did a thread about Swift turn into a thread with a shirtless pic of Gervon Dexter?

How don't all threads?

[HisRoyalSweetness]

How did a thread about Swift turn into a thread with a shirtless pic of Gervon Dexter?

Well at least it's different from turning into yet another Fields vs Williams debate.

[docc]

..did they keep the receipt in case he doesn't work out as expected..?

[Moriarty]

For the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles helped resurrect a highly drafted running back's career behind an elite offensive line with offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland maximizing the talents of his rushers. Swift faced the Chicago Bears twice a year as a member of the Detroit Lions, but he maxed out at 151 carries over his first three seasons, often dealing with minor injuries. Chicago is paying for the 2023 production, with the Miles Sanders warning sign right in front of them. Chicago’s resources would have been much better spent elsewhere.

[southdakbearfan]

For the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles helped resurrect a highly drafted running back's career behind an elite offensive line with offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland maximizing the talents of his rushers. Swift faced the Chicago Bears twice a year as a member of the Detroit Lions, but he maxed out at 151 carries over his first three seasons, often dealing with minor injuries. Chicago is paying for the 2023 production, with the Miles Sanders warning sign right in front of them. Chicago’s resources would have been much better spent elsewhere.

Well, they didn’t so much resurrect it as he stayed healthy himself. He has always had good stats but was nicked up a lot.

[Bearfacts]

I wouldn't write off Pickens either, he should make a jump next year. We're going to need him to.

Think they need to use him more as a 3 tech though. He doesn't seem to have the anchor to play NT. Maybe that's why they signed this new kid Cowart and will probably look for other NT types in UFA or post draft releases. As for Dexter, if the kid can learn to play the game as a 3 tech he could be another Chis Jones. Jeezus he's strong and that was just as a rookie. After a year of NFL style training I'm anxious to see how much he's progressed.

[Bearfacts]

How did a thread about Swift turn into a thread with a shirtless pic of Gervon Dexter?

Hardly been a thread ever that didn't have a few detours in it.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

[Noots]

Someone tell his PR to cut out the boxing clips! He had more explosion lifting heavy weights than he did moving those gloves, oof!

It's kind of true and I actually shared Gervon's tweet in another thread myself.

But truth be told, although he's a physical monster, his hype video leaves something to be desired when it comes to fast hands, explosion, lateral agility, and overall fluidity.

He still looks somewhat, dare I say, oafish? Hopefully it's just the poor edits.

Moving those gloves—Speed bag is one thing, heavy bag is another. But that thing he’s trying to hit there is a serious bitch. It’s not something that you just go bam bam bam with. It equates much more with trying to hit another fighter with moves/counter moves, head bobbing. I’m wondering how this marries up with his 3-Technique work. I’d been keen to learn more about it.