D'Andre Swift rarely expresses verbal gratification in his individual statistics.
The veteran running back prefers to let his play speak for him or use his words to praise his teammates who aided him in reaching a personal achievement. However, even Swift acknowledges that there are certain accomplishments that deserve recognition.
For the sixth-year pro, that short list includes eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards in a single season for the second time in his career, which he did last Sunday in San Francisco.
"It means a lot," Swift told ChicagoBears.com. "I'm not going to sit here and sugarcoat it. It means everything. If a back tells you it doesn't mean a lot, he'd be lying to you. As a running back early on, 1,000 yards is kind of that benchmark, like, 'Okay, I'm doing something right. I'm on the right path.'
"To be able to do that with this group of guys and with the type of year that we've been having as a whole, I'm just honored — honored to be able to contribute every single week and to reach that benchmark. We've still got another game to add to it, so I'm excited for that as well. That's one I'm not gonna sugar coat and one that means a lot."
Heading into action against the 49ers, Swift needed just seven yards to hit the 1000-yard mark, and on his first carry about 11 minutes into the game, he rushed for eight yards.
Swift went on to total 54 yards and two touchdowns, including a 22-yard score where he carved through the San Francisco defense before speeding into the end zone, giving him nine rushing TDs on the year, a new career high. He also leads the Bears with 10 total touchdowns.
Now just two yards short of matching his career high of 1,049 rushing yards that he set with the Eagles in 2023, Swift leads a Bears rushing attack coached by Eric Bieniemy that ranks third in the NFL with an average of 149.4 yards per game. Swift is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, surpassing Bieniemy's expectation that his backs average 4.5 yards per attempt.
"This is the player I've always thought he could be and really has been in spurts over the course of his career," coach Ben Johnson said Dec. 26. "He's just been very consistent. He's very deliberate with what he's doing. I think Eric Bieniemy's done a fantastic job with him. You guys see EB out there — this is a very demanding coach … Swifty's always had this ability. I saw it firsthand when he was a rookie, all the way til now. None of it surprises me. Not one iota."
Swift's resurgence this season is no coincidence.
A self-motivated individual, Swift approached this past offseason hungry for improvement and success. Then came the reunion with Ben Johnson, Bieniemy's hiring and the acquisitions of interior offensive linemen Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson.
"That showed how [general manager Ryan] Poles and Ben saw this offense going forward," Swift said. "When I saw those signings, you can tell the trajectory that the team is going, that they want the team to go in. So that was big, man. And then it was just everybody gelling together. New guys, new schemes. So I knew it was only a matter of time until everybody started clicking."
From Swift's perspective, the "click" happened after the Bears' Week 5 bye. Through their first four games, Swift said that the run game wasn't where anyone wanted it to be, averaging 102 yards per game. Small details prohibited success. But since that break, the rushing attack has been firing on all cylinders, averaging 165 yards per game.
Swift likened the growth process to that of any new relationship. With time comes trust, and once the trust becomes unbreakable, he believes "the relationship starts to flourish."
"Identity starts with the guys up front, and I feel like when you're talking about being in a running back room, we don't get talked about if they're not doing their job up front," Swift said. "They've done a heck of a job all season. [Offensive line] coach Dan [Roushar] and everybody in that room, everybody that's contributed to our success, man, when they do their job, they make our job easier. So, I can't thank them enough. I go as they go."
Before the run game found its current state of productivity, Bieniemy first needed to challenge Swift individually, starting in the spring.
"My challenge for him was more than anything, if you want to be the best or you want an opportunity to show what you're capable of, you've got to turn up the limits on what you do in practice," Bieniemy said. "We can't do just enough to get by. You've got to learn how to practice by making second effort a habit. I want to challenge you to score. I'm gonna challenge you to sprint down the field, then hustle back to the huddle, because these are things that we have to do on game day.
"I'm also measuring what you are doing when the ball is not in your hands. Those are the things that help define what a great teammate is because when you're doing the necessary things as far as picking up a blitz or running to the football to make sure you're downfield blocking, now, what are guys gonna do? Guys are gonna start seeing that, and that behavior becomes infectious."
Bieniemy's emphasis on the small details not only stems from Johnson's coaching philosophy but also from his own high expectations for the running backs, Swift in particular.
When Swift entered the pre-draft process back in 2020 following three seasons at Georgia, Bieniemy was the Chiefs' offensive coordinator. He recalls having a high grade on Swift as a prospect and was impressed with his attitude and mindset, in addition to his physicality, quick twitch, speed and ability to use his hands from the backfield.
"That was Swift," Bieniemy said of his assessment. "That's the Swift I remember. And that's the one I've been challenging him to be."
Since the start of the offseason program, Bieniemy hasn't strayed from his set of challenges. If anything, he's pressed Swift further, constantly measuring him by how he comes to work every day, conducts himself in meetings and handles himself both in the weight room and on the practice field.
"He's risen to the occasion," Bieniemy said. "I mean, he's doing a heck of a job. Obviously, there has always been a talented kid within him. And my expectations were through the roof for him, and he has not disappointed at all. But those were the main challenges that I wanted him to face and also show him, 'Hey, when you're not doing it, man, look at this. Look at this pattern of behavior.'
"You want to be recognized as a leader, then do it. You can't do it when you feel like it. You've got to do it when you don't feel like it. That's the definition of leadership. He's taken on that challenge, and he's shown that. It's been fun watching him evolve and watching him grow throughout this process."
Assuming that leadership role also meant becoming a mentor to Kyle Monangai, the Bears' seventh-round draft pick out of Rutgers, who has compiled 769 rushing yards, 163 carries, five touchdowns and an average of 4.7 yards per carry.
Now a consistent part of the Bears' offense, Monangai didn't have his breakout game until Nov. 2 in Cincinnati, where he started in place of an injured Swift and proceeded to rush for a season-best 176 yards on 26 carries.
"Sometimes you've got to be uncomfortable to get comfortable, and I think more than anything, [Swift] showing his professionalism around Kyle — because that's the hard thing to do — has been probably the most impressive thing that I've seen from him," Bieniemy said. "Not only is he a great teammate, but he's also been a great role model for Kyle.
"Swift talks more than what we think he does, so he'll share some things with Kyle. They'll just sit there and talk about certain looks, certain defensive schemes that we've seen, certain coverages with rotations that could be given away, a blitz. I think more than anything, he's always encouraging those guys and making sure he's spreading the love and spreading the knowledge as well."
Swift's ability to accept each of Bieniemy's various challenges and meet the in-game moments time and time again this season wasn't just formed in one offseason.
Along with his pure talent, Swift's lifelong put-your-head-down-and-work mentality, which meshes well with the old-school coaching from Bieniemy and Johnson, has him on the brink of a career year.
"I've always been that way, and that's just seeing how my parents wake up and go to work, and instilled that in me at an early age," Swift said of his work ethic. "Nobody ever had to tell me to get up and go work out and do this, do that. I always wanted to get better. I never was complacent or comfortable with anything. It's always another level that I feel like I could tap into. So I feel like that's where it comes from.
"And then, I hear a lot of stuff. So it kind of drives me in a way to make people eat their words and things like that. I don't really speak on that type of stuff at all. I just let my play do the talking for me."
Whether it was in football or track and field growing up, Swift carried that mindset into anything he did.
He recalls his friends staying out late on weekends while he kept at home, readying for early morning 7-on-7 tournaments or club track meets.
Even before becoming a nationally known standout high school football player for St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia and helping bring three state titles to the school in four years, Swift recognized his rare talent and knew that in order to reach his potential, he could never let complacency creep in. Six years into his NFL career, that sentiment has remained true.
"I feel like I matured at a young age and set aside my goals and things that I wanted to do at an early age," Swift said. "As far as my purpose, I felt like I knew early on that I had an opportunity to be special, whatever that may look like. My story's still being written. I'm still on that journey."
The current chapter of Swift's story is, of course, centered around the Bears' 2025 achievements rather than his own. He believes that "if the team is having success, individual stats should align with that," and a hierarchy of importance between those two still exists.
Even while recognizing the significance of hitting 1,000 yards, Swift remains more focused on the Bears finishing out the regular season with a win Sunday against the Lions and preparing for a playoff run rather than on setting new career highs. But for now, it's a moment worth celebrating.
"Rushing for 1,000 yards in this league is hard," Bieniemy said. "And he's done it. I mean, he's played what, 16 games? He missed one game, and then he's splitting time with another player. So, yes, I think it's an extraordinary achievement, yet he knows what the number one goal is.
"But I just want to make sure he's being recognized for this. And obviously, he's done a tremendous job of accepting that challenge throughout the course of the season."
