Ben Johnson still believes in Chicago Bears' struggling running game

"Our guys are going to be fine," Johnson said this week. "It's not always the runners. It's everybody. It's the quarterback carrying out his fake. It's the receivers blocking downfield. It's the tight ends doing their job. The same thing with the offensive line. I think there's a lot of times on that tape we're not giving our runners a chance."

The Bears' offensive line has certainly struggled to hit its stride so far this year. It's one of the more disappointing developments of the 2025 campaign, especially after all the hype that surrounded the rebuilt and expensive starting five.

"The running game—I've kind of alluded to it over the course of training camp—it's going to take a little bit of time for our guys to all mesh together and I think that's what the tape looks like now," Johnson said. "We're just not firing on all cylinders yet. Sometimes it can be the ballcarrier not hitting the right spot. Other times it's just our combinations aren't clean yet. And it's going to take everybody: it's quarterback, it's receivers, it's O-line, it's tight ends to go along with those runners."

Johnson is forward-facing part to protect Swift. Whether this same messaging is happening inside the locker room and running back room is yet to be seen. I still believe we'll see a bigger share of Monangai carries when the Bears return to the field in Week 6, but Swift won't be cast aside.

"The guys are playing hard. They are playing for each other. We're doing a good job of getting that squared away and I think good things will happen the more time we spend together."