Should the Bears Make a Change at RB in 2026?
The Chicago Bears had a top 3 rushing attack in the NFL in 2025, averaging 142.3 rushing yards per game, only behind the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens.
The one-two punch of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai became the engine of the offense, running behind a Bears offensive line that flourished at winning at the line of scrimmage, particularly behind Darnell Wright.
Kyle Monangai will obviously be on the Chicago Bears roster next year – but D’Andre Swift is certainly a question mark. Cutting Swift would open up $7.5 million against the salary cap.
The Bears’ cap situation isn’t bad – but it’s not great either.
Cap casualties happen every offseason, and no team is immune (it’s why the Chiefs had to trade Thuney to the Bears in order to pay Trey Smith). When a team can clear over $7 million in cap space by cutting a running back, which is typically a fairly low-priority position, it’s a no-brainer. D’Andre Swift is a tough one, though.
D’Andre Swift finished the season with a career high 1386 total scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns. Heading into 2025, Swift was the 16th highest-paid running back in the NFL and certainly outplayed his contract value. He’s great in space, great in the passing game, and was much better in short-yardage situations than he was in 2024 (o-line improvement obviously has an impact there). There was a bit of a slow start to the season, but it’s reasonable to chalk it up to the Bears’ team’s slow start, rather than Swift individually. Ben Johnson’s offense and this run game struggled to find its identity until about week 5 against the Cowboys.
Sure, D’Andre Swift isn’t a Christian McCaffery or Bijan Robinson, etc., but to think anyone could provide the value that Swift did this season is a bit short-sighted.
With that being said, if the Bears do decide to cut Swift, what would their options be?
Option #1
The first option that surely some Bears fans will advocate for is to go into 2026 with Kyle Monangai as the RB1 and add depth in free agency / NFL Draft. While Kyle Monangai is a fun young player who has already provided positive value, especially being a 7th-round pick, this route would be a mistake. Monangai just is not an RB1.
He’s perfect for what his job is, which is to be a complementary power-back, but he isn’t good enough in pass protection and as a receiving threat to be a true RB1.
Option #2
However, the second option is the one Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson will likely take – there are some legitimate options in free agency. Kenneth Walker, Travis Etienne, and Breece Hall are going to be the top dogs at the position that will draw the most money. Spotrac has Breece Hall projected at just over $10 million per year, with Kenneth Walker at $8.4 million and Etienne at $7 million.
Of course, if the Bears were to cut Swift and open up that $7.5 million in cap space to then reinvest into the position (let’s say they signed Walker at that $8.4 million), it would only be a difference of about $1 million against the 2026 cap to upgrade the position.
This situation is unfortunately par for the course for D’Andre Swift throughout his career.
His departure from both Detroit and Philadelphia wasn’t necessarily driven by poor performance, but by the opportunity to upgrade and get one of the running backs in that next tier. Detroit drafted Jahmyr Gibbs, and Philadelphia signed Saquon Barkley.
The Bears will also have their chance to upgrade at the position, and Ben Johnson will certainly jump on it.
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Categorized:Bears