Bears Trade Proposal Secures $19 Million RB to Replace D’Andre Swift
The Chicago Bears have major issues in the run game and a trade ahead of the NFL’s early November deadline might be the only way to fix them.
Chicago should have a handful of options to consider, including Travis Etienne Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The former first-round pick, who has earned approximately $19 million through five years on his rookie deal, is under contract through the end of the season.
Jacksonville already moved on from Tank Bigsby, dealing him to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fifth- and a sixth-round pick in 2026. Fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten currently occupies the RB2 slot behind Etienne, and Jacksonville is ready to promote him into a starting role and and fill the backup spot with seventh-round rookie LeQuint Allen Jr. by 2026, if not before.
Even if the Jaguars prefer to wait a season to do so, dealing Etienne inside the next six weeks is the smartest longterm play for the team if it doesn’t intend to sign him to a new deal, as doing so allows Jacksonville to recoup some draft asset(s) via Etienne’s departure.
Dan Graziano of ESPN dubbed Etienne among the NFL’s top trade candidates on Friday, September 19. And the Bears need an upgrade at running back arguably more than any other franchise in the league.
Travis Etienne Playing Well This Season, Still Makes Sense as Trade Candidate Ahead of NFL Deadline
The Jaguars could net a substantial haul by trading Etienne in the coming weeks.
“He’s off to an excellent start with the new coaching staff, which believes he’s a great fit for the offense Liam Coen wants to run,” Graziano wrote. “Through two weeks, Etienne is second in the NFL in rushing (214 yards).”
However, Jacksonville may need to to falter for an Etienne deal to materialize.
“[Tuten and Allen] probably form the future of the team’s backfield,” Graziano continued. “If the Jaguars fall out of contention and want to get a longer look at their rookies, Etienne and his $6.143 million salary would probably be pretty easy to move.”
Regardless of how the Jaguars fare in the win/loss column, if Etienne continues to play well, he should command reasonable value on the market. If Bigsby brought back a fifth- and a sixth-rounder, it’s feasible that a team like the Bears might part with a future fourth-round pick to get a guy in the backfield who can force defenses to respect the run and give quarterback Caleb Williams more breathing room.
D’Andre Has Swift Proven Incapable of Handling Lead RB Role in Bears Offense
Bill Barnwell of ESPN wrote on Thursday that the Bears are a strong candidate to trade for a running back after an 0-2 start, during which the rush game — currently led by D’Andre Swift — has been among the worst in the league with numbers that include last in EPA per designed run and 30th in success rate.
“Chicago’s run game has been virtually nonexistent through two weeks,” Barnwell wrote. “It shouldn’t be a surprise that Swift isn’t a great fit for [Ben] Johnson’s run game; remember that the Lions traded away Swift during Johnson’s time with the team.”
Swift has also struggled in pass protection this season, which has further disrupted Johnson’s development of Williams.
As Barnwell noted, Swift is more of a change-of-pace back who the previous coaching regime in Chicago miscast as a true No. 1 by inking him to a three-year contract worth $24 million ahead of the 2024 campaign following a Pro-Bowl season in Philadelphia.
Tyler Shough's Confidence Raises Eyebrows Amid Saints’ QB Controversy
The New Orleans Saints are the final team left in the National Football League to not announce a starting quarterback for Week 1.
A good chunk of teams haven't had to make official announcements. For example, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills haven't had to go out of their way to make it known that Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will be starting when they take the field to begin the new season. But, there have been some quarterback competitions throughout the summer, like with the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts.
Cleveland announced Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback and the Colts announced that Daniel Jones would be replacing Anthony Richardson as the team's starter.
The Saints are still deciding between Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler
What about the Saints? Well, they said they are going to use this final preseason week as a way to determine the starter. It's going to be either Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough. Rattler has gotten a lot of buzz this week. He began with the first team this week and was named the starter for the final preseason game. While this is the case, head coach Kellen Moore specifically mentioned that it isn't an indication of Week 1 and both guys are still in the running for the job.
So, how does Shough feel about the competition and how he has done this summer? He opened up in a clip shared to social media by NewOrleans.Football.
"I feel like for me, I've improved every single week in game and practice," Shough said. "I think operationally wise, obviously the results weren't exactly what we wanted, but as far as what I was trying to do and continue to get better, I'm doing that. I think for me just kind of continuing this with the reps that we're going to get and just go out there and put some points on the board, have fun. Obviously, you can't control sometimes the expectations when you're not in the game, but just go out there and operate."
Both Shough and Rattler have said all of the right things this summer. Now, it's down to one more game to see who will win out.
