This side of the left tackle battle, the battle for the Chicago Bears' No. 3 running back was one to watch during the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns. Roschon Johnson needed to make a statement in his effort to ward off Salvon Ahmed, while Ahmed could fully assert himself as a factor with a good performance.
Going back to last season, the No. 3 running back spot for the Bears simply doesn't play a big role in the offense. As noted by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears have had a third running back get more than 24 carries just three times in the last 10 seasons (2016-2025): Johnson in 2023, Damien Williams in 2021 and Ka’Deem Carey in 2016.
That said, it is an important role on the roster, and whoever it is would step into a bigger role in the offense if anything were to happen to D'Andre Swift or Kyle Monangai. Running backs coach Eric Studesville's "always a broken shoelace away from having to play" sentiment absolutely applies.
Bears' RB3 battle is (still) complicated after preseason opener vs. Browns
Johnson got the first crack against the Browns, with a 19-yard run as the highlight of his eight-carry, 34-yard outing. He also had one catch for three yards across 22 offensive snaps.
Ahmed had two carries for 17 yards, with a long run of 12 yards. But the highlight of his day, and one of the highlights of the day for the Bears, was a 49-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass where he showcased speed and power as a runner. He finished with three catches for 55 yards and that score, while also playing 10 special teams snaps as he had the kind of day that might've all but sealed up the RB3 spot on another team's roster.
Undrafted rookie Coleman Bennett is a dark horse to be the Bears' RB3, but he did what he could to stay in the conversation, with a rushing touchdown and scoring on four carries for 10 yards against Cleveland.
Brittain Brown, the Bears' top RB3 last season (five carries), had a receiving touchdown and 20 yards from scrimmage against the Browns.
After the game, head coach Ben Johnson re-confirmed what will make the biggest difference in the battle to be the Bears' No. 3 running back.
"We feel good about those top two backs right now and where they’re at. So, the battle for three, four, five, whatever that looks like, a lot comes down to special teams. A lot comes down to how do you separate yourself from those top two guys? What’s your skill set? How’s it different?"
“(Ahmed) has got that slashing mentality where he’s hard to bring down in space, and that showed up again today. Showed up in practice really throughout camp so far. We’ll continue to challenge him to find a defined role there on special teams where he can help us out the most there. And then pass protection, how do we continue to improve? When you’re a little bit smaller as a running back, that’s always what I’m looking for. How well, how stout are we holding up to a blitzing linebacker?”
Johnson nearly played as many special teams snaps (102) in seven games last season as Ahmed has in the four seasons he spent on an active roster (110). Whatever advantage that represents seems to be sticking right now, but the Bears' coaches are clearly challenging Ahmed to assert himself in the third phase of the game.
Read more: 5 Bears players who desperately need a good start to the preseason
Ideally, the preseason opener would've brought some clarity to the Bears' RB3 battle. If anything, which isn't necessarily a bad thing with Ahmed and Johnson both having good moments, it's less clear now than it was going in.
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