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Bears running back room projected to be among NFL's worst in 2025

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 2:38 PM ET

It's a good thing for the Chicago Bears that their receiving corps is expected to dominate in 2025 because that same level of expectation is completely absent from their running backs. In a new article by Pro Football Focus analyst Dalton Wasserman, the Bears' running back room ended up as a bottom-three unit, landing at 30th overall.

Wasserman had this to say about the Bears: "If there is a remaining weakness for Chicago’s offense after a stellar offseason, it’s their running back unit. D'Andre Swift averaged just 3.8 yards per carry last season while earning a 65.7 PFF rushing grade. Roschon Johnson garnered a 76.0 PFF rushing grade, but he has tallied only 136 carries through two NFL seasons. The Bears also didn’t draft a running back until the seventh round, picking up Rutgers' Kyle Monangai."

How's that for a brutal reality check? This is a harsh but mostly fair assessment of Chicago's ground game as we head into 2025. The fact is that none of the vets impressed at all in 2024, and while there's some buzz around Monangai amongst the team and the fans, the fact is that a seventh-round rookie is extremely unlikely to even make the roster, let alone make an impact every week.

However, I do think that Wasserman placed the Bears too low on this list and disregarded some significant context. For one, D'Andre Swift has had a really good season before. In his one year with the Eagles, Swift averaged 4.6 yards per carry, put up 1,263 total yards, and 6 total touchdowns. He was able to do this because Philadelphia featured an elite offensive line, which is as far away from what Chicago's O-line was in 2024.

Which brings us to my second point. Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles has received universal praise for overhauling the offensive line in order to keep quarterback Caleb Williams upright, but Williams will not be the sole beneficiary of an improved O-line. The running backs need help from the blockers up front, too, and this upgraded unit should create many more running lanes for Swift, Johnson, and every other ball carrier.

Last of all, and potentially the most important point, the arrival of Ben Johnson has to be considered as yet another huge upgrade for Chicago's running backs. Johnson had David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs looking like the greatest rushing duo of all time over his last two years in Detroit. They're both good players, make no mistake about that, but what they did together certainly seemed like the result of excellent coaching.

That's not to say that you should expect this unit to resemble the Detroit Lions' rushing attack in 2025, but I do think it will be better than expected due to an improved O-line and vastly improved coaching. And if they do exceed expectations, then the sky is the limit for this Bears offense.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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