Last season, fitting the mold that head coach Ben Johnson preferred when he was the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator, the Chicago Bears eventually had two capable running backs. With Kyle Monangai's emergence over the course of his rookie season, D'Andre Swift settled into an ideal role and had the best season of his career.
Last season, Bears' running backs not named Swift or Monangai totaled eight carries. While it might be nice for others to be a little more involved, that pretty much fits with Johnson's history as an offensive play-caller.
In his three seasons as the Lions' offensive coordinator, here's the total number of carries running backs beyond the top two on the depth chart had.
2022-66
2023-48
2024-43
Bears urged to make move for RB who'd be ill-fitted for projected role
Bleacher Report's Alex Kay has highlighted four running backs the NFL should pursue via trade as training camps get going. The Bears, somehow, were matched with Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner.
"The Chicago Bears are a sensible suitor for the nine-year veteran, needing to add one more proven piece to their backfield to truly feel comfortable about it in 2026. The team failed to address the glaring lack of depth behind D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai during both free agency and the draft, inaction that kept an ineffective Roschon Johnson in Chicago's RB3 position going into training camp."
"Conner represents a massive upgrade in that spot while carrying a modest $4.8 million cap hit. Adding him and his team-friendly deal would allow the Bears to rotate three strong running backs who can grind down defenses and stave off their own wear-and-tear."
The rebuilding Cardinals have an inordinate amount of resources poured into the running back position right now, and the 31-year-old Conner is the easiest odd-man out. Before missing all but three games last season, he topped 1,000 yards with at least seven touchdowns on the ground in back-to-back seasons. Assuming no lingering effects from that ankle injury, he should have something left in the tank.
At a glance, the Bears can offer Conner an ideal role as part of a backfield rotation. But it would take Swift or Monangai being injured to open much work for him, and a "modest" $4.8 million cap hit is pretty sizable for a No. 3 running back.
Conner may very well be traded before Week 1. If not, and if the Cardinals' 2026 season goes as expected, he'll be a prime candidate to be moved closer to the trade deadline.
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It's just hard to see Conner and the Bears as a good fit, unless an injury scenario we'd rather not speak of leads general manager Ryan Poles down that path.
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