Ever since the 2024 season ended, running back was a position that Chicago Bears fans were concerned with. Every free agent and trade block rumor that popped up somehow circled around to the Bears. Ben Johnson’s willingness to run the rock — his Detroit teams were top half in the league in run/pass ratio all three years he called plays — had fans even more sure they’d target a new tailback.
Free agency came, and no moves; no trades materialized, and in the NFL Draft, GM Ryan Poles’ board never presented
a back until the seventh round.
Once the pads go on, they’ll have a better idea of what they have, but for now, the team appears content to roll with their current group.
Part of that contentment likely stems from their upgrades up front. They figure they can get by in year one, and then they’ll reassess the room next offseason.
Roster Locks
I forget who said it, but I watched a podcast where an analyst speculated that D’Andre Swift is a more mature player now than he was when the Lions traded him, thus he’s ready for whatever role Johnson has in mind for him. Back then, he was a 24-year-old who probably thought he should have been the lead back, so if there was any friction between him and his play caller, that may have prompted it. It’s three years later, Swift is on his second contract, and he understands his game better.
Swift’s familiarity with Johnson and his terminology is a plus for him, and he’s looking forward to the 2025 version of the Bears.
“Another opportunity, first and foremost, with everybody new, the coaching staff,” Swift said via Bearswire. “The culture, that’s changing, you could tell that Ben has been doing a hell of a job so far. Day in and day out, everything he’s doing is going to be for the better for this organization and for this city.”
He went on to say that Johnson has “Done a hell of a job, just seeing him transition, even from where I was before, just seeing his growth, as a coach and as a man. Excited to play for him again.”
Swift's first three games last year were pitiful (68 rushing yards), but after that, he settled in and had 891 yards (4.1 ypc) and 36 receptions in the final 14 games.
Roschon Johnson (6’, 227) will again play the role of power back, but we’ve seen Ben Johnson go with that style of runner as his RB1 before, so he may see a career high in touches.
Rookie Kyle Monahgai brings a power game, albeit in a more compact frame (5’8”, 207), but his contact balance, blitz pickup, and special teams experience make him a lock.
A Good Bet to Make it
The Bears re-signed Travis Homer with a million-dollar guarantee to be a core special teamer and backup at tailback, and Ben Johnson’s Detroit offense did open up last year with four running backs on the roster.
On the Bubble
Second-year UDFA Ian Wheeler and rookie UDFA Deion Hankins will fight it out for a spot on the practice squad.
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