“As a rookie last season, Kyle Monangai worked his way into a sizable role,” Moton wrote. “Entering a contract year, Johnson isn’t going to see much action on offense in the No. 3 spot. Don’t be surprised if the Bears cut him, giving the 25-year-old tailback a chance to catch on elsewhere.”

Roschon Johnson’s Usage Has Dipped Across All 3 of His NFL Seasons

GettyChicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson.

Bijan Robinson, now a first-team All-Pro with the Atlanta Falcons, overshadowed Johnson during their respective careers with the Longhorns. However, Johnson entered the league with high upside as an early Day 3 pick in Chicago.

While Johnson has never started an NFL game, he has appeared in 36 of them and got significant work as a RB in the first two. Johnson carried the football 81 times for 352 yards and two scores, adding 34 catches on 40 targets for 209 yards as a rookie.

His usage dropped with Swift’s arrival in 2024 on a $24 million contract, but Johnson still carried the ball 55 times for 150 yards and found the end zone on six occasions. He caught 16 of 20 targets for 104 yards.

But then Chicago pivoted to new head coach Ben Johnson, which has meant a transition to a special teams role for the running back. He appeared in just seven games in 2025, getting two carries and tallying 17 yards. All told, Johnson played only four offensive snaps as opposed to 102 snaps on special teams.

Johnson has also suffered at least two concussions in his three pro seasons, including one in 2023 and one in 2024, which interrupted each of his most productive campaigns. He is entering the fourth and final year of his $4.6 million rookie contract in 2026.

Bears RB1 D’Andre Swift Entering Contract Year

GettyChicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift.

Swift is also entering a contract year, which could create an interesting vacuum in the backfield in spring 2027.

Chicago’s new head coach was part of a group in Detroit that traded Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the 2023 campaign. Swift went on to earn the only Pro Bowl honors of his career that season before cashing in on his second NFL contract with Chicago.

He will play the upcoming campaign at just 27 years old and produced perhaps the best season of his six-year career in 2025, tallying career highs of 1,089 rushing yards and nine TDs on 4.9 yards per attempt, which is the second-best mark of his pro tenure. Swift added 34 receptions for 299 yards and a score across 16 games played.

More than a few analysts pondered if the Bears might try to upgrade at the position this offseason, though the brass on the coaching staff and in the front office clearly didn’t feel the need.

That said, given the value structures of second and third contracts for running backs as opposed to what Chicago might find on, say, Day 2 of the 2027 draft should provide for some interesting discussions about the future of the position. Another good showing from Monangai in 2026 would render a Bears’ decision to move on from Swift next offseason easier as well.