Former Fan-Favorite Ian Wheeler Proves That He Belongs with the Bears

Every offseason, one or two players capture the hearts and minds of Chicago Bears fans with their plucky, underdog attitude and strong preseason performances. In 2023, that was Tyson Bagent, who last year signed a contract extension with the Bears. But in each of the last two years, running back Ian Wheeler was the fan-favorite.

Wheeler tore his ACL in the Bears' final preseason game of 2024, ending his season, and by the end of the 2025 preseason, he had been waived. But Wheeler's football journey didn't end there. He signed on with the Louisville Kings of the United Football League (UFL) and has quietly put together a strong season. And after the Kings' 29-20 playoff win over the St. Louis Battlehawks on Sunday, Wheeler has made a strong case to be back with the Bears for the 2026 season.

Ian Wheeler has the juice that Ben Johnson's offense needs

The Chicago Bears' running back room is headlined by D'Andre Swift and 2025 breakout star Kyle Monangai, and they're going to command the vast majority of rushing attempts in 2026. However, head coach Ben Johnson likes to carry three running backs on the 53-man roster, and that's where Wheeler could find his home in Chicago.

Wheeler did not receive an invitation to the 2024 NFL Combine, but he did perform at the 2024 NFL HBCU Combine and at the NFL Pro Day for Howard University, and his results were impressive. He ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash, hit a 38.5" vertical leap, and landed a 10' 4" broad jump at his pro day, all of which were improvements from his Combine performance and beat both Roschon Johnson and even Kyle Monangai's numbers.

Event Name	Ian Wheeler	Kyle Monangai	Roschon Johnson
40-Yard Dash	4.41 seconds	4.6 seconds	4.58 seconds
Vertical Leap	38.5"	34.5"	31.5"
Broad Jump	10' 4"	9' 9"	10' 2"

He clearly has the athleticism to play running back at the NFL level, but it's hard to say whether Wheeler ever got a fair shot to show what he can do. As aforementioned, he tore his ACL during the final 2024 preseason game, and we don't know if that still bothered him during the 2025 preseason. But now we're seeing him play professional football for the UFL, and he certainly looks like he belongs in the NFL.

Wheeler averaged 5.4 yards per carry in the 2026 UFL season and racked up six rushing touchdowns, each of which are the second-best marks in the league. Together with James Robinson, another former NFL running back, Wheeler has helped lead a dominant rushing attack for the Louisville Kings, and on Sunday night he posted a 51-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter that ended up being the game-winning score. The Kings will be playing in the United Bowl next weekend, and Wheeler is a big reason for that.

Chandler Rogers and Ian Wheele — Louisville Kings QB Chandler Rogers and RB Ian Wheeler. Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Bottom Line

None of this is to say that Wheeler could be a star in the NFL (though that's not impossible). His role would almost certainly be limited to that of an RB3 in Ben Johnson's offense, but it's a role he could fill better than anyone else currently on the Bears' roster. His athletic testing is on par with his NFL peers, and now that he's had a full season as a starting running back for a UFL team, he's shown that he can handle football at a higher level than college, even when the stakes are highest.

If either Swift or Monangai miss time next year with injuries, the Bears are going to have to lean on their RB3 to pick up some slack. Last year, when Swift and Roschon Johnson were ruled out for Week 9, practice squad call-up Brittain Brown performed admirably, carrying the ball five times for 37 yards and a touchdown. He's still with the Bears, but I believe that Wheeler would be an upgrade. Ryan Poles should make the right decision and bring Wheeler back for training camp and give him one more shot to earn a roster spot.

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