Welcome to the 2026 Chicago Bears Season Preview on Bears By 7, a player-by-player look at the team's roster and their chances.

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If you were a D’Andre Swift doubter after a middling 2024 season, he did everything in his power to help change your mind in 2025.

Of course it helps to have Ben Johnson running your offense instead of Shane Waldron.

Two seasons after the Lions shipped him out of Detroit in favor of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, Swift and Ben Johnson reunited to institute a power-running attack that keyed the Bears’ NFC North title. Swift posted a career-high 1,087 rushing yards while finding the end zone 10 times (nine rushing TDs, one receiving). His 4.9 yards per carry ranked ninth in the league and his 30 explosive carries (10+ yards) ranked seventh.

Paired with rookie Kyle Monangai, the duo formed one of the most efficient backfields in the league. Swift ranked first in the league in EPA/rush among RBs with at least 150 carries (0.07) while Monangai ran 11th (.01). The Bears were the only team with two qualified runners in the top 15.

Swift’s highlight game came on Black Friday in Philadelphia when he and Monangai became the first Bears running backs to rush for 100+ yards since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey did it in 1985.

Despite his 2025 highlights, Swift will again be put under the microscope and asked to do even more by Johnson.