When Ben Johnson was named head coach of the Chicago Bears, the franchise was widely expected to land a standout running back, akin to what he had as offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions. However, the only real offseason additions the Bears made was seventh-rounder Kyle Monangai.
As it stands, D’Andre Swift is once again set to lead the backfield. He has experience playing under Ben Johnson during his time on the Lions. The situation is a bit different now, but Swift will still play a massive role in Johnson’s offensive plans.
At the same time though, the spotlight now shines bright on Swift. Despite it being Johnson’s first year with the Bears, there have been lofty expectations placed on the organization. For Swift in particular, Moe Moton of Bleacher Report argues the running back is one of the seven players under the most pressure entering training camp.
“Johnson will put Swift to the test at training camp to see if he’s equipped to handle the lead position,” Moton wrote. “If the 2023 Pro Bowler misses time or fails to impress, the Bears could add a running back or expand Roschon Johnson’s role.”
D’Andre Swift’s Chicago Bears debut, future
During his first season in Chicago, Swift earned a career-high 253 carries, turning them into 956 yards and six touchdowns. While the near 1,000 yards was nice, he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry. If Swift is going to remain the lead back, he must be more efficient with his touches.
Working in his favor is the team’s rebuild offensive line. With three new faces along the entire, there will be more holes for Swift to run through. Furthermore, Swift offers a pass-catching ability that could make him a versatile threat in Johnson’s offense.
Over his five-year career, Swift has made 237 receptions for 1,798 yards and eight touchdowns. He caught a career-high 62 passes in Johnson’s first year as Detroit’s passing game coordinator. It may not be Jahmyr Gibbs-type production, but Swift at least offers Johnson the type of player he likes at running back.
How Swift adopts to Johnson’s new scheme with the Bears will be extremely telling. Either the running back worry of the offseason was all a moot point, or Chicago will be searching for a new lead runner sooner rather than later.
Swift’s biggest competition
Roschon Johnson matched Swift’s team-leading six rushing touchdowns in 2024. He has proven he is a proficient goal line back. However, Johnson earned just 55 carries and 150 total yards, showing that Chicago preferred to solely use him in short-yardage situation.
As a rookie, Johnson did average 4.3 yards per carry, running for 352 yards and two touchdowns on 81 carries. He has already received an endorsement from general manager Ryan Poles. And with Johnson, the head coach, wiping the slate clean, Johnson, the running back, will seemingly have a stronger opportunity to make an impact in 2025.
Monangai is a small running back that ran just a 4.6 40-yard dash at the scouting combine. There are plenty of reasons he fell to the seventh-round. But Johnson chose Monangai for a reason. He has a mountain to climb to make an impact as a rookie based on his draft capital, but training camp will give the running back a prime opportunity to impress.
During his five years at Rutgers, Monangai ran for 3,222 yards and 27 touchdowns. In 2023 he led the Big Ten in rushing yards with 1,262. He then broke that mark a year later, running for 1,279 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns. Monangai was name First-team All-Big Ten in his final collegiate season.
Ben Johnson will certainly be watching the running back room throughout training camp. If the head coach doesn’t like what he sees, perhaps Swift could be facing even more competition for that RB1 role.
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