Where do the Bears Stack up at Running Back? CBS Sports Gives Their Take

It's no secret that General Manager Ryan Poles and Head Coach Ben Johnson were looking to upgrade the running back position this offseason. The Bears were linked to college phenom Ahston Jeanty from Boise State at the number six overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft and TreVeyon Henderson from Ohio State in the second round. After striking out on both, they selected Kyle Monangai from Rutgers in the seventh round.

Tyler Sullivan from CBS Sports ranked every team's running backs room into one of seven tiers, ranging from "Dynamic Duos" to "Work in Progress" sections. The Bears were ranked in the lowest tier, "Work in Progress", along with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys. Here is what Sullivan had to say.

"These are the teams that still have some work to do in their respective backfields. In Chicago, the Bears were tied for the third-lowest yards-per-carry average in the NFL last season. They also recorded the eighth-fewest total rushing yards. D'Andre Swift took the vast majority of the carries, finishing the year with 253 rushing attempts. However, he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry. With an improved offensive line and Ben Johnson now calling plays as the head coach, it wouldn't be surprising to see Chicago have a much more respectable ground attack in 2025."

Sullivan quickly points out that Swift and the other ball carriers were not solely responsible for the poor rushing numbers from the 2024 season, but a collection of failings from the running backs, coaching staff, and offensive line. While the Bears have options to enhance the running back room, a coaching and offensive line overhaul leaves some promise that production in 2025 can be improved with the same personnel. How much of an improvement remains to be seen.