Running the ball is BACK.
How else could you really explain why Pro Football Focus spent hundreds of words freaking out about the Bears' running game? How else could you explain the panic that they're trying to instill in the hearts of Bears fans who are just trying to enjoy a nice summer full of wildly-high expectations for the first season in the Ben Johnson era? Now that running the ball is back, it's just another way for THE NATIONAL MEDIA to be the Bears' biggest haters, which is clearly a reasonably response and I won't hear anything otherwise.
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PFF took a big long look at every NFL team on Monday and decided to pick out their one biggest weakness, because they hate fun long weekends I guess. And while they're not technically wrong to be concerned about the Bears' running game concerns, it's simply not the vibe right now, and we are in the part of the NFL calendar where only vibes matter.
At least the Bears don't have a quarterback problem anymore? Right?
"Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Bears’ most obvious need seemed to be at running back. But with the draft in the rearview mirror and dust settling on the offseason, there’s little clarity regarding Chicago’s intentions at the position. In his first season of a three-year, $24 million deal, D’Andre Swift (65.7 PFF rushing grade, 18 runs of 10-plus yards) underwhelmed. Many anticipated the Bears cutting ties with Swift as Ben Johnson took the reins, but the former Lion is still positioned as Chicago’s RB1. On top of that, general manager Ryan Poles didn’t draft a running back until the seventh round via Kyle Monangai (78.2 PFF rushing grade). Could someone such as J.K. Dobbins (67.1 PFF rushing grade) be in play as an addition to a room that needs one?"
It's funny to see the juxtoposition between what Bears fans think Monangai is going to be into versus what literally everyone else thinks he'll be. A very prominent Chicago media member even suggested on a podcast this spring that Monangai is going to be their *first down* back. Meanwhile, a great deal of media members that weren't born, raised, and now work in Chicago don't think he'll even make the final 53-man roster. So that's a fun dynamic!
It'll probably be fine. The Bears have Ben Johnson. And if it all goes sideways, they can just throw the ball 45 times a game, because remember: they have Ben Johnson. I told you this was the vibes-only part of the summer.