New Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, offensive line coach Chris Morgan and passing game coordinator Thomas Brown are currently formulating a scheme.
“All those guys are a really important part of that,” Eberflus said. “I’ve been involved in that as well. It’s important we put those pieces in the right spots.”
The arrival of Allen should provide a huge boost. The 6-2, 211-pounder spent his first 11 NFL seasons with the Chargers, catching 904 passes for 10,530 yards and 59 touchdowns. Allen was voted to five straight Pro Bowls from 2017-21 and was chosen for a sixth time last season when he led the NFL with a career-high and franchise-record 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven TDs despite missing the final four games with a heel injury.
With his large catch radius and meticulous route-running ability, the Bears consider him an ideal veteran receiver to pair with a young quarterback.
The thing that Eberflus appreciates most about Allen is his “situational excellence.”
“He’s been great in situations,” Eberflus said. “When you’ve got to have a play, he can make that play. He’s been great on third down, great in two-minute, great in critical situations. He’s a disciplined and a master route runner and he has the ability to be open and stay open with his body. He understands how to do that.”
In Swift, the Bears are getting a big-play threat who is equally adept at running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield.
The 25-year-old has appeared in 56 NFL games for the Lions (2020-22) and Eagles (2023), rushing for 2,779 yards and 23 touchdowns on 593 carries and catching 195 passes for 1,412 yards and eight TDs.
“We just felt like we wanted a home-run hitter there,” Eberflus said. “I think D’Andre brings that. We wanted a weapon back, a guy who could be a weapon out of the backfield … He’s got tremendous speed. You can feel that when he is running the football, but you can definitely feel that as a pass catcher.
“I know that in situational football, it’s very difficult to be able to have the two guys outside covered, two tight ends covered, and then you’ve got another situation where you have the weapon back inside, so that was critical.”
Eberflus also praised the addition of Byard, a two-time first-team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection who has appeared in 130 NFL games over eight seasons with the Titans (2016-23) and Eagles (2023). The 5-11, 212-pounder has…
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