D'Andre Swift's familiarity in Ben Johnson's offense all positive for now

"Yeah, I have a history with him," Johnson said. "I was with him when he was a rookie, and then, certainly, my first year calling (the offense) there in Detroit, he was with me, as well.

"Here's what I know about him: He is a fierce competitor, and that's what I love about him. When the lights are bright, you're going to know exactly what you're going to get. If you tell him that you're going to need one yard, four yards, whatever that is, he's going to find a way to put his shoulder down and move the pile and get that done for you."

It sounds better than it seemed to work out in Detroit, but more about that part of it later.

When Johnson became offensive coordinator in Detroit, Swift's carries got cut from 151 to 99. Then Swift was out of town in free agency for Philadelphia for one season before landing with the Bears.

The change in carries didn't necessarily happen because Johnson saw a player who failed to fit in. Johnson did want a power back with more carries and a shared backfield situation. Swift eventually got his carries back plus more because he had a career-high 229 carries for the Eagles in 2023 after leaving Johnson's team in free agency, and then 253 last year in Chicago.

When the Bears failed to draft a back until Kyle Mongangai in Round 7, it became more apparent maybe Johnson actually liked Swift better than the past seemed to indicate.

"Whatever they were going to do, my mindset wasn't going to change," Swift said. "If they brought somebody in, if they do or they don't, my mindset was to come in and go to work, and to be undeniable, to be honest with you."

Going back to work in Johnson's offense should give Swift a bit of an edge on others early because of familiarity, but in this attack it's more about paying attention to detail over particular running styles or body sizes for backs and other players.

"From when I left, I don't know if it's the same from when I left, but as we're installing it, things are starting to come back to me a little bit more," Swift said. "The offense we have and all the concepts and the run game and all of the different stuff that he's doing, he's one of the smartest football minds I've ever been around.

"He's really, really intelligent. It's a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff."

The attention to detail left a big impression before, as it is now.

"The little stuff is big; details, tracks. How Ben (Johnson) wants it has to be to a T," Swift said. "That's the stuff that we're working on, not just as running backs, but as an offense, like receiver splits, all the stuff that I hear him say in meetings, its little stuff, but those are big things, in this offense, because it matters."

Perhaps Swift knowing the offense and coordinator can allow him to rebound from a career-low 3.7-yard-per-carry average last year, when numerous social media threads had him pegged as a player who runs outside but not for tougher inside yardage.

"What can I do? Everybody has an opinion," he said of this reputation. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

"My job is to come in here and continue to work. Like I said, I'm excited for this season. I know who I am and what I'm about, so that's all. Just thankful for another opportunity going into this season."

Perhaps with Johnson's touch involved, Swift will find the inside as free of potential tacklers as the outside this season.

If so, he'll know he wasn't the only one on offense paying attention to those details Johnson harps about.