Did the Bears make a mistake signing D'Andre Swift?

After the NFL legal tampering free-agency period began Monday afternoon, Chicago quickly reached an agreement with running back D'Andre Swift on a three-year, $24 million contract with $15.3 million guaranteed, per ESPNs Adam Schefter.

Per Spotrac as of Wednesday, Swift — who played for the Eagles last season — has the ninth-highest cap hit for any running back in 2024. That money is too rich for most teams, as many have strayed from paying big money for a running back, but not for the Bears, who clearly overpaid.

What makes the deal especially questionable is the Bears let highly productive running back David Montgomery walk last offseason.

Through their first four years in the league, Montgomery — who signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Detroit Lions last offseason — outproduced Swift.

Montgomery, 26, totaled 3,609 rushing yards on 915 attempts, 26 rushing touchdowns and caught 155 passes for 1,240 yards and four TDs. Meanwhile, Swift, 25, had 2,729 rushing yards on 593 attempts, 23 rushing touchdowns and 195 catches for 1,412 yards and eight TDs.

Despite Montgomery's overall edge in production, Chicago gave Swift $6 million more total than what Montgomery got from the Lions.

Plus, Chicago could have added a better talent than Swift at roughly the same price. On Tuesday, Derrick Henry reached an agreement with the Baltimore Ravens on a two-year, $16 million deal, per Schefter.

Henry — a four-time Pro Bowl who earned the 2020 AP Offensive Player of the Year award — has five 1,000-plus-yard rushing yards in the past six seasons. The one season he didn't hit the mark was in 2021, when he rushed for 937 yards. Swift, meanwhile, reached that milestone with the Eagles last season for the first time (1,049 yards).

It's understandable if you want to debate who was better between Montgomery and Swift, but in no world do either of those players reach the level of Henry, 30. 

Clearly, the Bears needed help in the backfield. The only other running backs on the depth chart before coming to agreement with Swift were Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson, who have combined for 2,623 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns.

Overpaying for Swift, however, doesn't seem wise, and the fact Chicago let a better running back go last season only makes this deal look worse.