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Is a breakout season coming for this Chicago Bears fan favorite in 2025?

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 8:23 PM ET

If there are any questions about the Chicago Bears' offense entering the 2025 NFL season, they're at running back, where D'Andre Swift continues be the target of concern as a player who could limit Ben Johnson's offense.

And while that may be an unfair overreaction to Swift's one subpar season in Chicago, the reality is he's never proven to be a full-time, feature back at any point in his pro career.

As a a result, there will be plenty of opportunities for another running back to emerge, and the player gaining steam as training camp inches closer is third-year pro, Roschon Johnson.

The former fourth-round pick from Texas, Johnson has been a favorite since his arrival. Bears fans were excited by the post-draft hype that suggested they landed one of the top sleepers in the 2023 class, while Bears coaches lauded him as a potential pilar of the organization.

Since then, he's totaled just 136 carries for 502 yards and eight touchdowns in two seasons.

However, last year felt like a lost season for Johnson. Failed offensive coordinator Shane Waldron didn't have a vision for him, and while he did score a career-best six touchdowns, his role remained undefined for most of 2024.

That's expected to change in 2025. In fact, there's a chance Johnson can receive as many or more carries in 2025 as he's had in his first two seasons combined.

With Ben Johnson's track record of how he used his running backs with the Detroit Lions, the power back tends to thrive. Whether it was Jamaal Williams or David Montgomery, Johnson's affinity for power runners is well established.

It's the role Roschon Johnson will fill in Chicago. He's the only candidate on the roster who can fill it, actually. The only other viable runner is rookie Kyle Monangai, and while he does pack some punch behind his pads, he doesn't profile as the between-the-tackles player that Johnson can be.

Fantasy football managers have noticed, too.

"Johnson has a pathway to be a top-20 running back if he gets more than 220 touches, like Montgomery did in the same system," Bleacher Report's Moe Moton wrote. "While Swift will draw most of the attention as the Bears' lead running back, make sure you target Johnson, who could be the best handcuff option in fantasy football this year."

If D'Andre Swift gets off to a slow start or has any kind of injury issue this season, Johnson could finally realize the upside that made him an exciting prospect just a couple of years ago.

While I don't think Johnson possesses special traits, he could be a surprisingly productive piece of Ben Johnson's offense for the next two years.

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

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