Home / Sports / Bears Lean on Veteran D'Andre Swift as Injuries Plague Backfield
Bears Lean on Veteran D'Andre Swift as Injuries Plague Backfield
6 Sep
Summary
- Bears backup Roschon Johnson out, rookie Monangai dealing with hamstring
- Head coach Ben Johnson high on veteran Swift, ready to give him heavy workload
- Bears face Vikings and QB J.J. McCarthy in Week 1 Monday Night Football matchup
As the Chicago Bears prepare for their Week 1 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, they face a significant challenge in their backfield. Backup running back Roschon Johnson will be out, while seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai is dealing with a hamstring injury.
This leaves the Bears with little choice but to lean heavily on veteran running back D'Andre Swift. Head coach Ben Johnson has made it clear that he has a high opinion of Swift and is more than willing to give him the majority of the carries.
"I think I've been, I think, pretty open since I got here about Swifty and how highly I think of him," Ben Johnson told reporters on Saturday. "Monangai has really hit his stride there over the course of the spring and camp. I trust that guy at this point, which is a big thing to say for a player like that. He just he tends to do everything so right."
The Bears will also have Brittain Brown available, who impressed the coaching staff during the preseason. However, the focus will undoubtedly be on Swift as the Bears look to establish a strong running game against the Vikings and their new starting quarterback, J.J. McCarthy.
The Bears' running game may not be the main storyline, but it will be crucial to their success in Week 1 and beyond as they aim to take a step forward in the 2025 season.
