Bears get an ideal fit for Ben Johnson's offense in very early 2026 mock draft

When Ben Johnson was hired as Chicago Bears head coach, that seemed like a bad thing for one of the team's most significant investments in 2024 free agency. On the Detroit Lions coaching staff, and as the offensive coordinator in 2022, Johnson knows what it looks like to give running back D'Andre Swift workhorse-like volume.

A bad offensive line wasn't helpful, but the Bears learned that same lesson last year. Swift played every game for the first time in his career, but 295 touches was entirely too much and on 253 carries he failed to get to 1,000 yards on the ground. The previous coaching staff seemed to think it had no other viable running back options, but this coaching staff will surely see they have those kind of options.

The Bears did not make a notable move to add a running back this offseason. More accurately, they were unable to viably make a notable move to add a running back. Any idea Ashton Jeanty could fall to them in the first round of April's draft never really had viable juice, and they ended up adding Kyle Monangai to the running back mix in the seventh round.

So Swift will operate as the lead back again, with the combination of Monangai and Roschon Johnson getting work behind him. Maybe Swift is able to take on a big workload again, while producing far better behind an upgraded line.

Bears secure ideal fit for Ben Johnson's offense in early 2026 mock draft

ESPN's Matt Miller is out with a very early first-round 2026 mock draft, with the projected order based on a simulation of the 2025 season.

The Bears landed at No. 17, and Miller has them taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.

"The Bears were rumored to be interested in Ashton Jeanty had he fallen to them in the 2025 draft, so perhaps 2026 is when they'll get a running back. Love was one of the best running backs in the country last season as a sophomore, rushing for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns. He is a bruising runner at 6-foot and 206 pounds but can also break off big plays -- see his 98-yard TD against Indiana in the first round of the playoffs -- and shake tacklers in space. That, plus his receiving skills, makes him the perfect feature back for new coach Ben Johnson's offense."

For some, and yes at a very early point in the pre-draft process, Love is the best running back in the 2026 draft class. He is an ideal combination of a bruising runner, at 6-foot and over 200 pounds, and speed to burn (he was a track star in high school). Notre Dame's offense puts a cap on his raw production as a pass catcher, but he averaged 8.5 yards per catch with two receiving touchdowns last season and his three-down skill set is lined up to translate big-time at the next level

Until he shows otherwise, and at this point that ship has largely sailed, Swift is not the type of back Johnson seems to want as the lead back for his offense. Next offseason might be the ideal time to fix that. If Love declares early and he's available to the Bears in the first round of the draft, maybe with a trade up in play, he looks like a phenomenal fit.