Who Should I Start? D'Andre Swift or Travis Etienne Jr.

Monday, January 6, 8:30 AM

The Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift saw plenty of chances out of the backfield in Week 18's 24-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The 25-year-old rusher saw 20 rushing attempts, though he was inefficient with those opportunities as he accumulated only 65 rushing yards. Swift added a rushing touchdown in his game, which helped bolster his production. Swift was targeted twice but was unable to reel in both targets. The former Georgia Bulldog played every game in 2024, a first in his career, and saw at least 10 touches in each game for the Bears. Swift had his least efficient, though most involved, season in his career as he had 253 carries for 959 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns while hauling in 42 receptions for 386 receiving yards on the year. Swift has a solid opportunity to continue to build on his touches in 2025, depending on who the head coach will be for the Bears.

Thursday, May 8, 8:25 AM

The Jacksonville Jaguars' new regime of coaches and executives is "not so high" on running back Travis Etienne Jr., according to league executives who have spoken with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. As a result, Fowler notes that rookie Bhayshul Tuten could carve out a role and make an impact right away. The Etienne era in Jacksonville has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. He dominated over his first two seasons, combining for 2,925 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns. He even finished eighth in Offensive Player of the Year voting in 2023. However, last season, after Tank Bigsby joined the backfield, Etienne's usage dwindled. He still started all 15 games he played, but he was often out-snapped and out-produced by Bigsby. Etienne finished his age-25 campaign with just 558 rushing yards, 254 receiving yards, and two touchdowns, all of which were career lows. He was already trending down ahead of this offseason, and the Jaguars' decision to bring in new faces (such as general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen) could spell disaster for the former first-round pick.