Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson sounds like he wanted to retaliate against Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after catching a punch in the helmet from him during their Sunday Night Football matchup in Week 2.
Al-Shaair tumbled onto the Bears’ sideline in the third quarter after delivering a big — and potentially late — hit on rookie quarterback Caleb Williams as he ran out of bounds. The bigger offense occurred, though, when Al-Shaiir stood up in a swarm of worked-up Bears players and immediately threw a punch at Johnson, a bystander in the situation.
Johnson did not retaliate, but he admitted in the postgame that took a lot of restraint.
“It took every bit of my soul not to thrash that boy,” Johnson wrote on X in a repost of Barstool Sports sharing a video of Al-Shaiir’s sideline punch.
The referees did not penalize Al-Shaiir for his hit on Williams or for throwing a punch at Johnson; although, the officiating crew likely did not see the incident that the replay cameras caught more clearly. Officials typically eject players for throwing a punch.
While the Bears did not gain penalty yardage for Al-Shaair’s action, the NFL could still discipline him in the week to come. A fine seems likely, but the league may take it a step further and suspend him for one game due to his actions, especially since it should have resulted in his ejection from the Texans’ 19-13 win over the Bears on Sunday night.
Azeez Al-Shaair Accuses Bears of Saying ‘Crazy Things’
Al-Shaiir admitted that punching Johnson was “not my proudest moment” when NFL insider Aaron Wilson asked him about the incident during Sunday’s postgame. He also said he understands and accepts the league may fine him for his “unacceptable” actions.
That said, Al-Shaiir seems to think the reaction was warranted based on what he claims the Bears players said to him as he tried to get back on his feet after his hit on Williams.
“It was stuff that obviously I can’t repeat — and I respect the game, I know how it is,” Al-Shaiir told Wilson in a video posted to X. “Like, a lot of guys think they tough when they’ve got pads and stuff on. I know how it is. I grew up different, so there’s something that you say that you’ve got to speak on and you’ve got to answer for, and I feel like there was just some crazy things said.
“For me, it was more like I see a swarm of orange [jerseys] and I’m trying to protect myself because people are saying all types of things to me. And where I’m from, stuff like that, you don’t take it lightly.”
Roschon Johnson Fails to Earn Role in Loss to Texans
While Johnson was the recipient of a wayward punch in Week 2’s loss to the Texans, he did not factor into the Bears’ offensive plans whatsoever for a second straight week.
Johnson — a 2023 fourth-round pick — was active on the game-day roster against the Texans after the team made him a healthy scratch in Week 1. The Bears had seemingly tabbed him in favor of Velus Jones Jr., whom they left inactive, but they did not include him in their offensive plan, giving him zero carries or targets in the passing game.
Instead, the Bears fed 14 of their 22 carries to $24 million lead back D’Andre Swift and found staggeringly little success. He gained just 18 net rushing yards and averaged an abysmal 1.3 yards per carry against the Texans. The Bears finished with just 71 total rushing yards and gained more than half of them (44) on scrambles from Williams.
The Bears did give a few carries to Travis Homer and Khalil Herbert, the latter of whom scored the team’s only touchdown when he punched it in from 2 yards before halftime.
Johnson rushed for 352 yards and two touchdowns on 81 carries as a rookie in 2023. He also finished third in receptions with 34 catches for 209 yards on 40 total targets. It is unclear exactly what has caused him to fall out of favor with the Bears’ coaching staff.
