Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift started off the 2026 season with three touchdowns and 124 yards to secure the franchise's first weekly offensive honor for a back since 2016.
It took just one game for Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift to earn league-wide recognition. The National Football League named Swift as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 1 performance against the Carolina Panthers.
In the Chicago Bears' 59-37 win over the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium, Swift rushed for a career-high three touchdowns on 18 carries for 124 total yards. The veteran running back helped lead the way for the Bears to set franchise records for total yards (552) and points scored (59) in a season opener.
The Bears signed Swift to a three-year, $33.75 million extension just before their Week 1 game, securing him through the 2029 season.
"Yeah, he's had a good week, huh?" Johnson said after the game. "He earned it, every step of it. We really value what he brings to the table. He's had a great spring, a great training camp. So I don't think anybody in our building is surprised that he's out of the gate in a strong fashion."
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams described Swift as a "golden star" because of his ability to do it all for the Bears' offense.
Johnson was with Swift while the two were in Detroit, and the Bears' head coach has always seen him as a running back that brings versatility to the running back room.
"People, I think, sometimes put him in a box as more of a scatback type, but he's really an all-purpose back as far as I'm concerned," Johnson said. "He's a lot stronger than what people think. He's willing to go for those hard yards and run in between the tackles. He can put his shoulder down, drive the pile, and yet he still has the speed to where he can be an explosive play on the perimeter as well. So, I've always seen him as more of an all-purpose back than putting any certain type of label on him. I'm just really proud of how he's grown to become at this point. He's earned that contract. He wants to be here. The way he works and he goes about his business is exactly what we want to be about. His teammates respect him, and he's a huge part of what we do here on offense."
Swift if the first Bears running back to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in over a decade. The last player to earn the honor was Jordan Howard in Week 8 of the 2016 season.
