For as long as the Chicago Bears have been in existence, they’ve been a franchise that has been committed to playing old-school, smashmouth, ground and pound football. It’s a style of play that embodies a team that is affectionately referred to as ‘The Monsters of the Midway,’ but one that was noticeably absent in 2024. With new head coach Ben Johnson in the fold, that may change, and starting running back D’Andre Swift expects to be the catalyst.
“Everything. Especially when numbers ain’t where they should be statistically,” Swift said bluntly when he was asked what he needs to improve on. “We won four or five games. Can’t sit up here and talk about anything positive. All of us have something to work on, something to get better at.”
Swift isn’t wrong in this assessment not only of his performance in 2024, but the Chicago Bears as a whole. Chicago ranked 25th in rushing yards and 27th in yards per rush in 2024, and Swift particularly had a tough time on the ground. After signing with Chicago on a three-year deal last March, the five-year veteran was held under 1,000 yards and was ranked 37th of 41 qualified running backs in rushing success rate.
But this doesn’t fall entirely on D’Andre Swift. Chicago’s play-calling was terrible and predictable and other words that end in ‘ble’ that indicate poor performance. The offensive line was injured and overmatched on a weekly basis. In 2025, all of that figures to change.
Ben Johnson, Remade O-Line Set to Improve Rushing Attack
The biggest factors that made D’Andre Swift’s first season with the Bears a disappointment have been removed. Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff have been replaced by former Detroit Lions head coach Ben Johnson and former Denver Broncos tight end coach Declan Doyle, who is the youngest offense coordinator in the NFL.
Up front, the interior of the offensive line has been bolstered by the additions of Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, a group of steady veterans that made one of Chicago’s biggest weaknesses a strength overnight.
Put all of those pieces into a big old melting pot, and all of the sudden you might have a run game that tastes — well, looks — more like the Chicago Bears of old. And everyone in Bears camp is taking note.
“Our wide zone has looked good the last few days and I know that we have a lot more install to put in with the run schemes,” Declan Doyle said. “It’s not like we’re introducing everything all at once. We want to be multiple and have the ability to do more. As we go, just being really critical about evaluating these schemes, is it something that fits us? If it’s not, then it’ll get removed.”
Roschon Johnson, Kyle Monangai Turning Heads at Camp
D’Andre Swift isn’t the only running back who enters the 2025 NFL season with something to prove. After arriving in Chicago with more fanfare than your average 4th round pick, Roschon Johnson’s first two years with the Bears weren’t as productive as many expected they would be. Johnson has ran the ball just 136 times for 502 yards and 8 touchdowns in those two seasons.
Also in the running backs room is Kyle Monangai, a Rutgers product who rushed for over 1,000 yards in back to back seasons in the Big Ten, but wasn’t selected until the 7th round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Through the first handful of days of training camp, Johnson and Monangai are both performing like possible contributors this season. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Johnson has “started to look more like the player the Bears evaluated coming out of Texas.” He also described Monangai as “a revelation,” noting that his vision and strength have been better than expected.
It could be that this group, with the right coaching staff, is ready to pop. But listening to months worth of talk that the backfield is Chicago’s biggest weakness could also be just the fuel that this group needs.
“Highly motivated group,” Johnson said of his running backs on July 25. “I know the perception out there is that maybe it’s not the most talented room in the world — they like to hear that noise.”
