After the Chicago Bears decided to cough up more money for running back D'Andre Swift, they can now take action on Roschon Johnson.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that Swift is getting a three-year, $33.75 million extension, with $27.5 million guaranteed. Swift was in the last year of his initial three-year contract with the Bears.
Chicago has locked up their backfield for at least the next three years with Swift and Kyle Monangai. Now the Bears can address a mistake they made with Johnson and fix it with one solution: move on from him and move up Salvon Ahmed.
Bears can fix their Roschon Johnson mistake by cutting him and promoting Salvon Ahmed
During training camp, Johnson was fighting for the RB3 job with Ahmed, and it got a lot closer than Bears fans thought it would. Ahmed really emerged with Monangai's multiple injuries, getting more touches. To Johnson's credit, though, he fought back and played well in the preseason, with both guys posting solid final stats.
Name | Carries | Rushing Yards | Rushing TDs | Catches | Receiving Yards | Receiving TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roschon Johnson | 35 | 128 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
Salvon Ahmed | 8 | 53 | 0 | 6 | 69 | 1 |
Johnson and Ahmed are two very different types of weapons out of the backfield. Ahmed has speed and versatility, while Johnson is more of a power back.
While Johnson had some nice moments in the preseason, he had more glaring moments where Bears fans were frustrated with him. In the Cincinnati Bengals game last month, Johnson had a moment where he could have cut into a hole and picked up a lot more yards, but he stayed in the lane he was in and got a short gain.
His lack of vision is a concern for Bears fans. He is only looking to stay on assignment, and not cutting back shows that he is a one-trick pony when the Bears need more from him. Remember, this is the same guy who only had two carries all of last year and lost his job to a seventh-round draft pick when he had the RB2 job lying in his lap.
Many Bears fans called for Ahmed to make the 53-man roster because of everything he can bring to the table. He might be injury-prone, but he can pick up big chunk yards on the ground while being a threat in the passing game.
What does Swift's extension have to do with Johnson's future? Well, the Bears have their top two backs now and can be more flexible with the backfield. They may have thought that they had to keep Johnson for veteran insurance, with Monangai only in his second season.
The Bears can now afford to look at the roster and see where they can get more dynamic. Swift and Monangai are great weapons, but Johnson doesn't really provide much value to the team. Ahmed can help throw defenses off their guard with his versatility, so it makes more sense to take a chance on him over Johnson.
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Johnson has been a bust of a draft pick for the Bears, and the team probably needed to move on from him during the offseason. With more clarity in the backfield, the Bears should use this time to correct the mistake they made with Johnson and get Ahmed on the active roster to help the team now.
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