Bears' Roschon Johnson earns shockingly high ranking in new running back breakdown

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson was once described as a player who could be a pillar of the organization by general manager Ryan Poles. This, after Johnson was selected as a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

It was an odd amount of praise for a prospect who entered the NFL following a collegiate career in which he served primarily as Bijan Robinson's backup.

Indeed, Johnson's reputation as a high-character, team-first player made him an appealing target for Poles, who was in the middle of a locker room reconstruction at Halas Hall. But after two seasons in the NFL, Roschon Johnson is closer to being a roster cut than a feature running back.

The 2025 NFL season and the arrival of coach Ben Johnson will give Johnson a fresh start in the Bears' backfield. He should at least be the primary goaline back, and if D'Andre Swift fails to impress early in the season, Johnson's workload could increase.

There's so much of an opportunity for Johnson to make his mark in 2025 that he was recently ranked 21st in a recent breakdown of every NFL team's top backup running back (or, for fantasy football purposes, the league's top handcuffs).

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"While seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai could shake things up with a strong camp, it’s most likely that D’Andre Swift will once again open the year as Chicago’s RB1 with Roschon Johnson working behind him as the backup," Bleacher Report's Alex Kay wrote. "Johnson’s 2.7 yards per carry average and RB54 performance last year left much to be desired, but there’s still a chance the third-year back improves significantly now that he’s running behind a revamped offensive line in a creative system being installed by new head coach Ben Johnson."

While being ranked 21st may seem low at first glance, the fact that Johnson is ahead of players like Nick Chubb (Texans), Kareem Hunt (Chiefs), Justice Hill (Ravens), and Blake Corum (Rams) says... a lot.

Perhaps it's the Ben Johnson effect. Maybe it's faith in Johnson's between-the-tackle upside. Or, maybe it's as simple as a lack of confidence in Swift being able to hold onto the starting job for 17 games.

Regardless of the reason, there's still a glimmer of hope that Johnson will live up to his post-NFL Draft hype in 2025.