Bears' D'Andre Swift Talks Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, 2025 NFL Season and More in B/R Interview

It seemed at times that the Chicago Bears would need a miracle-worker to turn things around as they went 14 consecutive seasons without a playoff win from 2011 through 2024.

Well, they may have found one in Ben Johnson.

"That's the god," Bears running back D'Andre Swift told Bleacher Report when discussing his team's head coach. "He makes everything go. We follow his lead. I can't say anything but great things about him as a coach and as a person."

Expectations were certainly high when Johnson arrived as the new head coach ahead of the 2025 campaign considering he directed offenses that finished in the top five in the NFL in scoring and yardage in each of the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions.

Swift was with the Lions during Johnson's first year as OC, and Detroit then enjoyed back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 1994 and 1995 in his second and third years in the position.

Still, even the most optimistic Bears fan knew better than to expect too much in Johnson's first season after the team went 5-12 in 2024. 

But Johnson wasted no time announcing his presence, as Chicago won the NFC North at 11-6, won a playoff game for the first time since the 2010 campaign, and saw its offense go from 28th in the league in scoring and last in yardage to ninth in scoring and sixth in yardage.

It wasn't just the results that stood out, as Johnson changed the culture and connected with his players with passionate postgame celebrations and speeches following dramatic victories.

"I was just happy to be reunited with him, especially knowing the way his impact trickles down to us as players," Swift said. "And the city of Chicago, they've got the right guy leading the way."

Perhaps Johnson's biggest impact was the development of Caleb Williams, who made a significant leap in his second year in the league after he was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

While the quarterback's rookie year was defined by coaching changes, offensive line issues and some of the turbulence that undercut the Bears in previous seasons, working with an offensive-minded coach helped unlock him as he threw for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 388 yards and three scores on the ground.

"It's all positive things to come," Swift said of the 24-year-old quarterback. "As people could see during the season, the Bears have their franchise quarterback. I know he's only going to get better and continue to grow, especially under Ben. That's going to be quite a dynamic duo for years to come."

Williams directed seven game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime this season and often saved his best for the biggest moments. It made for a thrilling season in Chicago filled with unbelievable comebacks and also earned the USC product the nickname Iceman.

"His poise and his calmness in critical situations stand out," Swift said. "He's very clutch and gets us out of a lot of trouble by making things happen. And that's only going to get better with Ben."

It reached a point where it seemed like the Bears were never out of a game as they won back-to-back contests by one point against the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders by blocking a last-second field goal one week and then making one the next week.

Then there was Williams hitting rookie tight end Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown in the final minute of a win over the Cincinnati Bengals when Chicago was trailing with no timeouts.

▶️ Full Bears-Bengals Recap

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But none of those comebacks stood out more than the wins over the rival Green Bay Packers.

Chicago overcame a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes of its Week 16 game against Green Bay with a field goal, recovered onside kick, fourth-down conversion for a touchdown and deep ball to DJ Moore to win in overtime, but that just set the stage for its Wild Card Round win over the Packers.

The Bears scored 25 points in the fourth quarter alone to overcome a 21-6 deficit and send the Packers home in front of a jubilant Soldier Field crowd.

 ▶️Full Packers-Bears Recap

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Swift said the team could "most definitely" feel how special the season was as it was unfolding, "especially in those critical situations we were in at the end of games. In those situations when you keep finding ways to win multiple times throughout the year, you start realizing and thinking about how special the group is that we had in the locker room."

Even the eventual Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams featured one of the most incredible fourth-down touchdown passes in recent NFL history when Williams sprinted straight back and heaved a perfectly placed deep ball to Cole Kmet in the corner of the end zone to force overtime.

It wasn't just Williams and the passing attack that drove the Chicago offense during many of those comebacks.

After all, Swift posted career-high marks with 1,087 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He also added a receiving touchdown, meaning he scored double-digit touchdowns for the second time in his career and surpassed 1,000 yards on the ground for the second time in his career.

The Georgia product ran for more than 100 yards in victories over the Commanders, New Orleans Saints and Eagles and also had multi-touchdown games against the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers.

And he posted those numbers all while splitting the backfield with rookie running back Kyle Monangai, who had 169 carries to Swift's 223.

"I was just grateful to be in the position I was in with the opportunities I was given to be able to contribute to the team's success," Swift said of his individual production. "I feel like I definitely had a positive year."

He surely would have loved to end that "positive year" by being in the Super Bowl, but at least he knows what he is going to eat when he is watching the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots.

Swift and quarterback Tyrod Taylor partnered with Dairy Queen for the "Taylor and Swift Halftime Feast" in a tongue-in-cheek nod to the music superstar as the restaurant debuts its chicken strip party platters.

Fans can choose between Dairy Queen's original chicken strips or the new FlameThrower ones to go along with four dipping sauce flavors. If they are bold enough, they can even choose soft serve as one of the dips.

"The partnership has been amazing," Swift said. "They've got some great things going on. … The FlameThrower strips, the spicy ones with the signature soft serve on the side as the dipping sauce, is unique and something people should be looking out for. Don't knock it until you try it."

With the off-field partnership secure, the running back can now turn his attention toward his future on the field.

Optimism is high in Chicago with a franchise quarterback and head coach in place, as well a collection of young playmakers who were all rookies this past season in Loveland, Monangai and Luther Burden III.

The question is whether Swift will be part of that bright future since the 2026 campaign is set to be the final year of his deal. Dan Wiederer of The Athletic suggested he could "warrant consideration as a possible cap casualty with $7.5 million of cap room cleared if he is released."

But Swift made it clear how he feels about the situation.

"It's a great assumption that I want to stay," he said. "I don't want to be anywhere else."

That is surely what Bears fans want to hear.