New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson plans to upgrade the offensive line. During his introductory press conference this week, Johnson said he plans to team up with general manager Ryan Poles to address the deficiencies of the trenches.
The Bears enter the 2025 draft with the No. 10 overall pick. There aren’t expected to be a ton of options at offensive tackle near the No. 10 spot. If he remains on the board, LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell would probably be Chicago’s best bet. Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. would be another option.
The Bears need to fix the interior portion of the offensive line more than they need an upgrade at left tackle. Poles can find help on the interior after the first round.
Ben Johnson wants to fix the Chicago Bears’ rushing attack
© David Banks-Imagn Images
During an appearance Thursday on Fox Sports‘ “The Herd with Colin Cowherd”, Johnson said the Bears need to elevate their rushing attack in 2025 to help Caleb Williams become more efficient as a passer. Despite praising De’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, he suggested the Bears could add more pieces at running back.
“The number one deciding factor, winning and losing now is quarterback success and quarterback efficiency, but the best way you can help that for a young player, especially, is to have a great running game,” Johnson said. “And so listen, that’s something that we are going to hang our hat on. We’ll see how well we improve upfront. I like the backs that we already have on the roster, and we can certainly look to augment that position group as well, but it’s going to start there, and it’s going to take everybody, not just those two.
“We need great tight ends blocking. We need our perimeter players willing to block down the field so that we can spring long runs. And that’s something that we’ve been able to encourage and get done in my past. So I’m looking forward to bringing that here to Chicago, as well.”
The best way to help a young QB is a strong running game. I like the RBs on the roster but we can certainly look to augment that position.
Dont be surprised if Ben Johnson goes after a big name RB this off season. 👀 #DaBears #Bears #ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/sktscO0Wl6
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) January 23, 2025
Johnson has a history with D’Andre Swift
The Lions had Swift on their roster in Johnson’s first season as offensive coordinator. Detroit traded Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2023 draft when the Lions added Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round to complement former Bears running back David Montgomery.
The tandem of Gibbs and Montgomery was lethal in Detroit.
Could Ashton Jeanty be the “augment” Johnson was talking about?
Johnson is willing to “augment” the Bears roster in the backfield. He should.
Chicago finished 25th in rushing, averaging 102 rushing yards per game in 2024. Swift and Johnson were disappointing. But Ben isn’t going to disparage those players publicly after being named as the head coach of the Bears on Tuesday.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty could be a key figure to watch for the Bears in the pre-draft cycle. The 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024, leading the Broncos to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
If the Heisman Trophy award wasn’t handed to Colorado’s Travis Hunter for playing the most snaps in college football amid a strong PR push by Deion Sanders at Colorado, Jeanty would have won the coveted award.
Jeanty is an intriguing option for Ben and someone who could help free up the passing attack for Williams. Swift is too nimble to be a bell cow. Johnson is too weak to be the Bears No. 1 back.
Ben and the Bears are looking to upgrade the position, and Jeanty appears to be on the table.
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