Roschon Johnson May Not Make It to Week 1 With the Chicago Bears

Roschon Johnson may be running out of time with the Bears as Kyle Monangai's rise leaves the former fourth-round pick fighting just to make Chicago's roster.

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In 2025, Kyle Monangai did what the Chicago Bears have been waiting on Roschon Johnson to do for years.

Monangai exploded onto the scene in his first season in the NFL and is now in line to be the next lead back in Chicago once D'Andre Swift's days with the franchise end, which could be after this year.

Meanwhile, Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2026 and it feels like it'll take a miracle for him to stay in Chicago beyond this coming season.

In fact, Bleacher Report's Moe Moton thinks Johnson may not even last through this offseason after labeling the former fourth-round pick as a cut candidate.

"As a rookie last season, Kyle Monangai worked his way into a sizable role as the No. 2 running back as a complement to D'Andre Swift," Moton wrote. Meanwhile, Roschon Johnson faded into a special teams role."

"Entering a contract year, Johnson isn't going to see much action on offense in the No. 3 spot. Don't be surprised if the Bears cut him, giving the 25-year-old tailback a chance to catch on elsewhere," Moton added.

Johnson at least had a role over his first two years in the NFL after he had 134 carries and 50 receptions in that span. But Johnson became completely irrelevant last season with Monangai's emergence.

In the span of three years, Johnson went from promising to having one foot out the door.

Roschon Johnson's 2026 outlook

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Things don't figure to get any better for Johnson in 2026 as both Swift and Monangai return to form the impressive duo they were last season.

At best, Johnson will be RB3 and a special teams contributor, but he's going to have to battle for that depth chart spot with guys like Brittain Brown and undrafted free-agent signing Coleman Bennett.

Adding to that, the Bears only carried three backs on their initial 53-man roster in 2025, so those players might be competing for just one spot, which only increases the chances Johnson is left out in the cold.

One thing helping Johnson is he offers extra value thanks to his experience on special teams, so that could give him a leg up on both Brown and Bennett.

While we can't say for sure if Johnson will be on the Bears' roster come Week 1, we can say for near certainty that his days in Chicago are numbered.