Bears News: Swift on Williams’ natural leadership skills, experience on Hard Knocks |
CHICAGO - There were numerous running backs available in free agency. To address their running back need, the Chicago Bears signed back D’Andre Swift who is coming off his first 1,000-yard season. He joins a plethora of new faces on the offensive side of the ball, including a rookie quarterback, multiple new receivers, new offensive linemen, and a new tight end.
The running back position has been undervalued in recent years. However, especially with all of the new faces in Chicago, Swift recognizes the importance of developing a strong running back to help rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. “If you got a good run game, that makes everything else work on the offense, play action, the receivers. Everything kind of triggers off one another. So, when you got a good running game, that makes the whole offense itself more balanced.” Chicago planned well for the arrival of Williams. Among the moves they made, the Bears traded for receiver Keenan Allen, signed his former teammate tight end Gerald Everett in free agency, and drafted receiver Rome Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. With all of these playmakers, it certainly makes things easier for a young quarterback and for a player like Swift since he is not the only one learning the offense. Even with all of the new pieces, Swift is confident Chicago’s offense will be a balanced and explosive attack. “I feel like it’s going to be balanced. We’ve got a lot of playmakers on the outside, a lot of playmakers in the running back room first and foremost,” Swift said. “So, I feel like we got a lot of stuff in this offense to get our playmakers the ball.” Swift is working with a rookie quarterback for the first time. However, Williams’ natural talent and leadership have stood out to him during the first two weeks of organized team activities (OTAs). “The talent jumps out at you, somebody that’s willing to learn first and foremost. That’s what jumps out at me,” Swift said. “It’s natural to him, but you can tell he’s trying to get comfortable with the offense and everything, commanding the offense. You stand in the huddle with a whole new set of faces, a new group of guys. So, like I said, it takes time for someone to get comfortable and for that to be repetition. He’s doing a great job so far, taking it day by day.” During the first two weeks of OTAs, the news also came out that Chicago would be featured on the training camp edition of Hard Knocks, which is streaming on Max. During his time with the Detroit Lions, Swift was on Hard Knocks. While the cameras do not bother him, how they portrayed his relationship with one of his coaches did. “It’s a good outlook for the city, the team itself as far as that, to bring eyes to the city and the team as far as that aspect. Me personally, I don’t really worry about the cameras too much. I have a job to do here everyday, so I’m not worried about it,” Swift said. “They just tried to portray a different narrative than what it was as far as me and my relationship with (former running backs’ coach) Coach (Duke) Staley. But, it was a cool experience.” Swift’s experience with Hard Knocks highlights both the show's benefits and its detriments, including how things can sometimes be portrayed inaccurately. The first episode of Hard Knocks will air on Aug. 6 (8 p.m.).
