Bears could move on from Pro Bowl playmaker via trade with Steelers

The Chicago Bears could be ready to move on from one of their starters if the upcoming NFL Draft sees them land an upgrade. The Pittsburgh Steelers could be an ideal trade partner if the Bears want to move on from D'Andre Swift.

Pro Football Network's Sterling Xie tabbed Swift as a trade candidate at the deadline, despite having over 1,300 scrimmage yards last season.

"Although Bears head coach Ben Johnson coached D’Andre Swift in Detroit, it feels like Swift could use a change of scenery," wrote Xie."He averaged a career-worst 3.8 yards per carry in 2024, and his 39.5% rushing success rate ranked 42nd out of 46 RBs with 100+ rushes.

"Swift still has two years left on the three-year, $24 million deal he signed last offseason," Xie continued. "That makes the timing of this important, as the Bears would want to wait until after June 1 to trade Swift. By doing so, they’d save $8 million in cap room and take on a minuscule $1.3 million dead cap hit the next two years. It would also give the Bears the luxury of seeing if they come away with one of their preferred running backs in the draft."

Swift was a Pro Bowler in 2023 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He can still be a No.1 option out of the backfield, but Johnson may want someone more explosive leading his backfield. Meanwhile, the Steelers lost Najee Harris in free agency after he had run for at least 1,000 yards in every year of his career.

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"The Steelers and (Dallas) Cowboys are also teams that could use more running back depth and lean on more zone runs, which has been a better scheme fit for Swift in his career," Xie wrote of landing spots for Swift.

The Steelers could land Swift for a third or fourth-round pick. If the Bears draft a running back early in the draft, it would be safe to assume they would be willing to part with Swift for less if the alternative is paying him $9 million to be a complementary piece.

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