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New Bears practice-squad running back Royce Freeman.
The Chicago Bears are adding some veteran running back help with Roschon Johnson’s status still up in the air for Week 15’s Monday Night Football game.
The Bears officially signed former Denver Broncos third-round pick Royce Freeman to their practice squad on December 11, bringing in the 28-year-old veteran to fill the spot that running back Demetric Felton vacated when the team released him one day earlier.
Freeman has rushed for 1,792 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught 86 passes for 532 yards and another score since beginning his NFL career in 2018. Most recently, he played 14 games for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023, rushing 77 times for 319 yards and two touchdowns and finishing as their second-leading rusher behind Kyren Williams.
The Bears could be eyeing Freeman for a practice-squad promotion for Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15. Johnson — their preferred short-yardage/goal-line back — remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol ahead of December 12’s first practice of the week. In Week 14, Chicago also had starter D’Andre Swift on the injury report with a quad injury; though, he ended up playing against San Francisco.
The Bears (4-9) will face the Vikings (11-2) for the final time in the 2024 season they meet at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on December 16 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Will Royce Freeman or Darrynton Evans Get the Nod?
The Bears will likely call upon one of their practice-squad running backs if the health of their backfield does not improve by the end of Week 15’s set of practices. They did so in Week 14 against San Francisco, calling up Darryton Evans (signed on November 6) to back up Swift and Travis Homer. He rushed three times for just 3 yards in the loss.
If Chicago needs help again, though, will Freeman bump Evans out of an opportunity?
Evans — a 2020 third-round pick for Tennessee — has averaged just 3.8 yards per carry over 65 career carries and has scored just one touchdown. While his underwhelming numbers can be partially attributed to a lack of opportunity, Evans has recorded eight or more carries in four career games and never crossed the 50-yard-rushing threshold.
Meanwhile, Freeman is more seasoned and more productive. He has rushed for at least 50 yards in 13 career games and finished with at least four receptions in eight games. Even if Evans has an advantage in knowing the offensive system, Freeman seems like the better choice if the Bears decide to call up rushing help from the practice squad.
Of course, whether the Bears promote either of them hinges on Johnson’s health. The 2023 fourth-round pick missed all three practices with his concussion in Week 14, but he may have a shot at playing in Week 15 if he can both return to practice and clear the league’s concussion protocol following the team’s final practice on December 14.
Will Bears Run the Ball Better in Rematch With Vikings?
Regardless of whether injuries impact their personnel, the Bears will need to strive to run the ball better against the Vikings in their rematch after a lousy effort in Week 12.
The Bears rushed 22 times for 78 yards and a touchdown in their 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings roughly three weeks ago. Those numbers are worse when you can consider that D.J. Moore’s jet sweep accounted for 13 yards and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams added another 33 yards on six scrambles. Swift averaged just 2.3 yards on his 13 carries while Johnson turned in a pair of 1-yard gains, including a touchdown run.
If the Bears want to snap their seven-game losing streak and get payback against the Vikings, they will need a stronger effort out of their backs, especially Swift. The latter has gained 107 rushing yards on 28 carries over the past three games, putting him at a miserably inefficient 2.8 yards per carry. He will need to be better if the Bears want to avoid making Williams throw an excessive amount (47 times in Week 12’s loss).
