The longer the Chicago Bears go without making an addition to the running back room, the clearer it becomes that head coach Ben Johnson likes the depth chart as it is. Most already have it in their heads that the combination to watch is D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai. One was the starter last year, and the other was the team’s only notable addition this offseason. In reality, the name to watch in this unfolding picture is Roschon Johnson. A former 4th round pick out of Texas, he has been somewhat of an afterthought through the first two seasons of his career.
That is not to say he’s been invisible. Johnson has managed to carve out a role on offense despite any semblance of an identity. Not only is he the Bears’ most reliable short-yardage running back, but he’s also their best pass protector and a dependable special teams presence. People haven’t envisioned anything beyond that for him in this new offense. The truth is, they may want to start doing so because Ben likely already has a plan. He implemented one a few years ago for someone with a similar skill set.
Ben Johnson undoubtedly sees Jamaal Williams in Roschon.
The similarities are hard to ignore. Williams was a 4th round pick out of BYU in 2017. He had a reputation for being tough and physical as a runner, but not the best athlete. He spent five seasons between Green Bay and Detroit, contributing 500-600 yards and a few touchdowns. Then, in 2022, the first year Ben Johnson was in charge, he exploded for over 1,000 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. He parlayed that into a nice contract from New Orleans. Roschon can do all of the same things Williams did. Johnson brings the same scheme with him from Detroit. Don’t forget Swift was on that Lions team in 2022, so it’s a safe assumption he might not be the primary ball carrier. It is finally clear why the Bears haven’t been eager to make any moves. Johnson already feels he can do something with what he has.
I honestly believe the RB room is set. Ben has shown in the past that he can work with just about any skill set in that room and make them successful. Swift is more of the Gibbs guy, while Monangai or Johnson will be the Montgomery/Williams type. Monangai is the best pass protector of the 3, and likely the hardest runner, and I honestly believe he will be the one on the field for the most snaps. Homer is there for a backup as well as a special team ace. They also still have Wheeler, and RBs are the easiest… Read more »
I disagree with Erik in that the fact that they haven’t made a move here could indicate that they are happy with what they have, or it could indicate that they haven’t found a move they liked. The Bears could have drafted Kaleb Johnson (or Cam Scattebo) anytime in the second round, but they didn’t (would have been over drafting them), and Jordan James (Oregon), Jaydon Blue (Texas) DJ Giddens (Kansas State) were on the board late 4th when they picked Hyppolite. Ollie Gordon (Oklahoma State) and Devin Neal (Kansas) were on the board when they took Zah Frazier. There’s… Read more »
I know Chubb & Dobbins are gone. I think Johnson is going to give Roschon a chance. And there’s still RB’s holding out. Somebody somewhere is going to say I’ve had enough of the team that I’m with, I wanna go somewhere else. That story will get larger as training camp gets going, and we get towards the exhibition games. At that point, if the Bears need somebody, they will probably make a move towards one of the holdout RB’s. Something to monitor, but certainly not a focal point, yet.
Bijan and Roschon are too good to be ignored!