It's somewhat difficult to believe considering Roschon Johnson enters Year 3 in the NFL, but the Bears really don't know much about their 2023 fourth-round draft pick.
Among many things the Matt Eberflus regime failed to do on offense was take a really serious look at Johnson when he was healthy.
Maybe now with a new coach and offense?
“Obviously we still have some games to play, we still have to go out there and play and see what that's about," Roschon Johnson said. "But at the end of the day, (coach) Ben (Johnson), he's done a great job with the guys that he's had.
"I think he'll do the same with us, so I'm trusting in that and just kind of taking it day by day and just focusing on what I really can control.”
In practices, Johnson has been getting a lot of the goal-line drill carries. Been there, done that.
As their second back,Johnson had even fewer rushing attempts last year than quarterback Caleb Williams. This was with an offensive coordinator whose reputation had been for using a backfield rotation, but D'Andre Swift wound up with career highs of 253 carries and 295 touches.
Roschon Johnson, meanwhile has had only 81 and 55 carries in two seasons but had positive results when they did give him a carry in short yardage. Johnson's six touchdowns rushing tied for the team lead and was 20th among running backs in the league even though he was 65th among running backs in number of carries with 55.
Being a short-yardage back is barely above being a fullback in the NFL, although it does has its advantages.
“Scoring touchdowns isn't too bad," Johnson said to reporters' laughter. "I would say that's definitely one of them (advantages). Whatever I can do to contribute. If that’s short yardage, goal line, whatever the case may be, I'm all for it.
"It's fun to always be involved in that type of stuff.”
Still, the potential is there for so much more for a back who can block and also catch passes besides run when required.
"There's a lot of film that I have to put out and things I can showcase from my end that I feel like I haven't really put out in the past couple of years," Johnson said. "So, I'm looking forward to it, but at the end of the day, with the opportunities that I get, I just have to make the most out of them.
"That's how I'm approaching it.”
Johnson at least likes the possibility he'll get used more. After all, he's their Knuckles. He has the David Montgomery power back role for now that Ben Johnson had in Detroit. It's not the only thing Roschon Johnson likes about the offense, but one of them.
“A variety of things, there are a lot of different things that we could do," Roschon Johnson said. "A lot of different things that Ben can get to and different ways to get to it.
"So, I think he has a great mind and he's real detailed in the things that he does. It'll just help us out when we get in those tough games, when we get in those situations where we really need to hone something in and scheme something up. The playbook is detailed enough for us to do that.”
While the Bears have done more live hitting in practice than any time in recent or even distant memory, Johnson still hasn't had many chances to impress. It's coming and an example probably occurred at Family Fest on Sunday. Ben Johnson saw the running back play overall as a rare plus in a flawed practice.
"I thought all of those guys, they were putting their shoulders down and they were running through contact," he said. "If they saw a little crease, that's where I had a little bit better view than the other coaches, just seeing holes, whether they were there or not.
"I thought those guys were trying to play a physical brand of football all around."
If that's what Ben Johnson is looking for, there's one very obvious option for more carries this year and perhaps Roschon Johnson will thn finally get his chance to prove himself.
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