The Chicago Bears are expected to have a solid running game to the scheme of head coach Ben Johnson. However, their running back room brings questions, and PFF called them out as the weakest unit on the roster.
"Running back is the only offensive position where the Bears didn’t make a major addition this offseason. Chicago’s running backs ranked 26th in rushing grade and 32nd in yards after contact per attempt last season. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson could benefit from improved blocking up front, but this unit doesn’t project as particularly explosive in 2025."Dalton Wasserman
Chicago Bears running back room is weakest position on the roster
First, this could easily be taken as a compliment. Running back can be valuable when the rest of the pieces are in place, but no position is as team-dependent as running back. Take Saquon Barkley, for example. On the Philadelphia Eagles, he is a game-changing weapon who can lead a team to a Super Bowl, but with the New York Giants, he was just a fun player on a poor team.
So, if the Bears do not have a star running back but have solidified options everywhere else, it will be beneficial for them in the long term.
Beyond that, there is potential in the room. D’Andre Swift gets dinged because of speculation that Ben Johnson does not like him, but that could have been a decision by the Lions' front office, rather than a decision by Johnson. Roschon Johnson has struggled with staying healthy, and Kyle Monangai is a rookie. So, it may end up being less weakness and more of just a question mark.
While the running back is the right answer, another good answer would have been edge rusher. That is because if the team struggles or the defense fails to hold up their end of the bargain, it will be because they did not do enough to improve the roster's edge rushers.
They moved out DeMarcus Walker for Dayo Odeyingbo, and that is about it. If they fail to close teams out because they cannot create from their edges, it will cost them, and we will look back at that group as the problem, not running back. Even though the talent is more impressive in that room, the questions remain.
Read more: Bears' biggest weakness last year just became their biggest strength in 2025
Whether it be edge rusher or running back, these are two positions that could use improvement.