The Chicago Bears already knew coming into the summer who their primary running backs would be. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai played great last season, and both are still young and healthy. They should be good to go again this fall. The concern lay with the team’s depth. Travis Homer departed in free agency, leaving them with Roschon Johnson and Brittain Brown as their two options. Undrafted rookie Cameron Bennett soon joined the mix after the draft earlier this month. Most felt that was likely the extent of their moves. Once again, we all underestimated Ben Johnson. News has arrived that the team has signed veteran Salvon Ahmed to the roster ahead of the next spring practices.
Ahmed was a fascinating prospect coming out of Washington in 2020. He’d gone for over 1,000 yards in his final season there. Unfortunately, his smaller size (5’10”, 197 lbs) and 4.62 speed led to him going undrafted. He latched on with Miami and became a backup for four seasons. After being waived, he latched onto Denver’s practice squad in 2024, was cut again, and joined the Colts’ practice squad for the rest of that year. He did enough to earn an invitation to their training camp in 2025 and was performing well. Then, a hip-drop tackle in practice destroyed his ankle, ending his season.
Why would the Bears want Salvon Ahmed?
Well, the easiest answer is depth. Johnson wants to run the football, so the deeper the stable of backs, the better. This is very much likely a signing at the encouragement of running backs coach Eric Studesville. He held the same job in Miami when Ahmed signed there, and the two were together the entire time. Nobody knows what the running back offers better than Studesville. If he thinks Ahmed could fit in this offense, then Johnson will have signed off. It’s not like the young man is devoid of talent.
Scouts and experts saw a player with great footwork and agility. Forty times aside, the tape showed somebody with legitimate field speed, able to burst through holes and turn four-yard runs into 40-yard runs. Add his capable hands as a receiver out of the backfield, and you can see the appeal. The problem holding him back was a mixture of size concerns and lack of vision. He never showed decisiveness with his decision-making. A bad tendency to dance at the line of scrimmage robbed him of too many big plays.
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Ahmed is a message to the other roster incumbents.
Most notable is Johnson. The former 4th round pick has flirted with being a productive player in his career. Yet it hasn’t happened. Injuries seem to constantly get in the way every year. At first, the Bears were willing to show some patience, believing he’d come around. It hasn’t happened. Patience has run out. Make no mistake. That third running back spot behind Swift and Monangai is wide open. Everybody on the depth chart will have an equal opportunity to seize it, including Salvon Ahmed.
It will be interesting to see how he fares. This is the best opportunity he’s had since his early days in Miami. That said, the Bears run an offensive system that runs counter to his supposed strengths. They run a wide-zone rushing offense, which requires running backs to have good vision and patience. As we’ve established, Ahmed hasn’t displayed either consistently enough. Perhaps Studesville thinks Coach Johnson can find a way to use him properly. Answers to that should start next month.
