Bear Digest

New NFL ranking delivers brutal reality for Chicago Bears offense in 2025

The Chicago Bears might have a bigger problem at running back than most have been led to believe.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears fans have known for quite some time that the team has an issue at running back. 2025 NFL mock drafts suggested the Bears were a favorite to land Ashton Jeanty in the first round, but the Las Vegas Raiders had other ideas.

General manager Ryan Poles knew Chicago needed to add starting-level competition to the running back room, too. He tried to trade up for TreVeyon Henderson in the second round, but the New England Patriots had other ideas.

It left the Bears with few draft-weekend options to challenge incumbent starter D'Andre Swift; they settled for seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai, who's been crowned as the lone threat to Swift for a meaningful role atop the running back depth chart.

And that's bad news.

Here's some context: Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 32 running backs in the NFL ahead of the 2025 season, and Swift didn't make the cut.

Yep, you read that right. He wasn't viewed as one of the 32 best running backs in the NFL by the analytics powerhouse. Yet, he's Chicago's RB1.

Yikes.

Here are some of the running backs who did make the list: Tyrone Tracy (Giants), Travis Etienne (Jaguars), Brian Robinson Jr. (Commanders).

Not exactly a who's who of starters.

Swift has a lot to prove in 2025, one season after signing a three-year, $24 million deal in free agency. He finished last season with 253 carries for 959 yards and six touchdowns. It wasn't a terrible season, and he deserves at least some slack for playing behind a poor offensive line and under an offensive coordinator who didn't know what he was doing.

Top-tier running backs tend to make something out of nothing, however. Swift rarely did that in 2024, and even though there isn't much competition for the lead-back role right now, a late-summer signing could quickly change that.

The Chicago Bears have been connected to Nick Chubb as a possible veteran addition. If Swift fails to impress during offseason workouts, Poles and coach Ben Johnson could decide the oft-injured bruiser is worth signing to a short-term deal.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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