The Bears left Week 4 with a 23-12 win over the Jets, but D’Andre Swift also left with a clear message hanging over him. His third-quarter fumble changed the feel of the game, and once he put the ball on the turf, he never got back in.
Roschon Johnson took over from there and handled most of the work out of the backfield. Swift finished with 58 rushing yards and 16 receiving yards, but the bigger number was the mistake that came before the benching. It was his second fumble in the last two weeks, after another one in the Bears’ 9-3 Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
After the game, Bears head coach Ben Johnson denied that Swift was benched for the fumble, but the sequence told its own story. Some thought Swift’s knee injury might have been the reason he disappeared from the offense, though Johnson did not point to that as the explanation.
Even with the turnover issues, Swift’s season still looks strong on paper. He is either tied or alone in eighth place in three rushing categories: carries with 69, yards with 311, and touchdowns with three.
That production matters, especially with Caleb Williams out at quarterback for now. Chicago needs steady play from the backfield, and the Bears can’t keep living with giveaways from one of their most important veterans.
Monangai made sure the run game didn’t stall. The second-year back delivered 146 yards and two touchdowns against New York, and that kind of outing only adds pressure on Swift to clean things up. Swift signed a $32 million contract extension before the season, and he is trying to hold onto his spot as the lead back.
If the fumbling continues, Monangai’s workload could keep growing. For Swift, Week 4 looked less like a setback and more like a warning: protect the ball, or the depth chart could start moving without him.
In Other News...
Bizarre Soldier Field Incident Involving Bears Legend Raises Big Questions
After the Bears win over the Jets, a strange scene unfolded at Soldier Field involving former linebacker Otis Wilson near the suite-level elevators. Witnesses said Wilson got onto an elevator reserved for media even after being told not to, and the situation escalated into a scuffle with a female security worker in an area that usually stays well out of the postgame spotlight.
Wilson was later seen conscious and alert as staff helped him, and the Chicago Police Department said it had no calls or case reports tied to the incident. Even without an official report, the episode raised plenty of questions about what happened in the hallway after the game and why a routine postgame flow turned physical. [Read more 🡒]
Bears 3-1 Start Is Hiding A Few Troubling Roster Signs
A 3-1 start has given the Bears plenty to feel good about, but a few of the roster decisions underneath that record are looking less tidy by the week. As the season moved past Week 4, attention started to shift toward several players who are set to hit free agency in 2027, and not all of them are helping their case. Tyrique Stevenson has had trouble holding up in coverage, while Roschon Johnson has at least been able to carve out some playing time in the offense.
There are other warning signs, too, and they reach beyond one side of the ball. Clark Phillips III, acquired in a trade, still has not seen defensive snaps, and Garrett Bradbury has continued to deal with challenges up front on the offensive line. For a team trying to build on an encouraging start, the broader picture is starting to suggest that some of these names may not be around next season, even if the standings remain strong in the short term. [Read more 🡒]
Rome Odunze Just Sent The Response Bears Fans Needed
Ben Johnson did not have to spend much time unpacking Rome Odunzes drop against the Eagles. The Bears coach made it clear afterward that he did not need to say anything more, because Odunze already understood the most basic assignment for a receiver: catch the ball. For a young player trying to settle into an important role, it was the kind of public reset that could have lingered into the next game.
Instead, Odunze answered in a way Bears fans wanted to see. Against the Jets, he caught six of seven targets for 94 yards and looked far more settled, even taking a hard hit while still hanging onto the ball. It was a needed bounce-back for a receiver whose next step has mattered to Chicago all season, and it offered a cleaner picture of where his game stands after a rough moment. [Read more 🡒]