If there is one thing we know about new a coaching staff coming in, it is that suddenly, not everybody on the roster should be considered safe. Not only will certain guys be cut or allowed to leave in free agency, but there is a possibility that one or two might be traded. It happened in 2022 when Matt Eberflus arrived. There is no reason to think the arrival of Ben Johnson won’t lead to a shakeup of some kind.
While it won’t be a monumental teardown like three years ago, the Chicago Bears could still end up shipping out some notable names. Here are three who stand out.
Ben Johnson has some interesting decisions to make.
D’Andre Swift
This might seem crazy, considering Swift just got done posting over 1300 total yards this past season. His explosion and versatility are evident, even if he might not be the workhorse type of back teams prefer. Keep in mind Johnson has worked with Swift before in Detroit. The Lions traded the running back to Philadelphia after the 2022 season. That should give you an idea of what the new head coach thinks of Swift. With this upcoming draft being stacked with running backs, the Bears may elect to ship him out and remake the position.
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DeMarcus Walker
Walker has been a reliable presence on the defensive line for the past two years and a locker room leader. That said, his tweener style may not sit well with new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. He was never known for employing such players during his time in New Orleans. It wouldn’t be surprising if he prefers to go in a different direction. Walker likely wouldn’t fetch much, but there may be a team willing to part with a late round pick for a proven veteran who can give their pass rush some versatility.
Jack Sanborn
He’s been one of the cooler stories of the past few years. The kid from Lake Zurich found his way to his hometown team and has become a reliable player. Unfortunately, his athletic limitation may not sit well with Ben Johnson and his staff. Allen has long preferred athletic linebackers in his defense. Sanborn is more of a downhill, thumping type who works best against the run. He will fit somewhere, but maybe not in Chicago.
Guys like Sweat and even DJ Moore should be given the benefit of the doubt for having to work under a clown like Fluss (nice guy, good dad, terribly unprepared to be a HC and too simpleminded to learn). It was Fluss who allowed Davis to declare he didn’t like practice, it was Fluss who did nothing when DJ was walking off the field while Caleb was scrambling. This was a team wide disaster that was initiated by Fluss with his weak ass stunt of letting a few guys run the team instead of he and his staff taking control… Read more »
Make RB Swift into a WR/RB playing in the slot with running opportunities.
I don’t agree with the negativity on Sweat. Something was clearly wrong with him physically. He was only out there to motivate the other guys because the D-Line talent was otherwise dismal. This was all predicted last August and before. I knew it would be a long year having a weak pass rush and then the fear of having no DE and DT depth surely became a reality. The #1 reason I’m excited to see Dennis Allen is that I think he knows you got to have the horses on your D-Line, just the same as on your O-Line.
I’ll second the Montez Sweat trade possibility. The guy got too many downs off for his pay grade under the Eberflus Vacation Plan. This is a football team, not a rest home. If you make big money you should get into shape to play big minutes.
And I don’t want to hear he was dinged up. Teven Jenkins is a good player, but he’s always dinged up. No one is going to pay him 20M/yr. No one with any sense, anyway.
This is my first ever disagreement with @barry_mccockiner. ONE time, I had such bad cottonmouth I almost suffocated on my own sticky tongue…. then I got up and drank some water so I survived. But for like 15 seconds I was pretty sure I overdosed. The only reason I’m disagreeing is because I’m not really sure what qualifies as an overdose. Like, do you have to actually die? What if I decided not to get up? Was I actually near death or just paranoid? It’s all very muddy…