Over two seasons since the Chicago Bears took him in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Roschon Johnson has 136 carries for 502 yards and eight touchdowns. That's not what those who saw him as an underrated running back prospect coming into the league envisioned, and not being able to unseat D'onta Foreman and Khalil Herbert as a rookie stood as a red flag.
Last year the Bears force-fed D'Andre Swift touches after giving him a big contract, with the expected erosion in his efficiency with that heavy volume. Meanwhile, Johnson matched Swift with six rushing touchdowns and his rushing success rate (56.4 percent) was markedly better than Swift's (43.9 percent).
If Johnson had had enough carries to qualify, his rushing success rate would have been fourth-best among running backs last season. His success rate as pass catcher (40 percent) was also acceptable, yet he saw less work than he did as a rookie.
Fantasy analyst suggests Roschon Johnson was underutilized by previous Bears' coaching staff
While rookie Kyle Monangai may make a serious push for a large role, the Bears have not made a big-name addition at running back this offseason. So Johnson may open the season as the No. 2 back behind Swift, and Bears head coach Ben Johnson had an up-close view of what trying to give Swift workhorse-like volume looks like when the two were in Detroit.
Looking at Roschon Johnson from a fantasy football angle, Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus pointed to how his usage could change this season.
"While Swift was an early-down back and Johnson a third-down back last season, those roles may reverse. New head coach Ben Johnson was Swift’s offensive coordinator in Detroit in 2022, when he was the third-down and two-minute-drill back. From a measurables perspective, Johnson is much more like David Montgomery and Jamaal Williams, whereas Swift is more like Jahmyr Gibbs. That change could make Johnson much more fantasy-viable."
It's a tad aggressive to even hint that Johnson could replicate what David Montgomery or Jamaal Williams did in Detroit's backfield over the last few seasons. But Jahnke went further to highlight how a shift in Chicago's run scheme should favor him.
Read more: Fantasy analyst has incredibly optimistic view of D'Andre Swift for 2025
"Ben Johnson's offense typically features a high zone run rate, which is the opposite of what the Bears deployed last season. Roschon Johnson has averaged 4.0 yards per carry on zone runs compared to 3.4 on gap runs in his NFL career."
It'll be hard for Johnson to see fewer touches than he did last season, and the fact he touched the ball so little is another indictment on the previous coaching staff. The new coaching staff should easily rectify that this season, if only in the interest of saving some wear-and-tear on Swift and having a more functional ground game.