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Why Roschon Johnson Figures to Have Meaningful Role with Bears

All analysis counting out the Bears' fourth-round running back as a contributor in Ben Johnson's offense has it wrong, at least if he stays healthy.
Gene Chamberlain|
Because of his size, speed and ability to both pass block and catch passes, Roschon Johnson can't be counted out.
Because of his size, speed and ability to both pass block and catch passes, Roschon Johnson can't be counted out. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

More evidence of why the Bears need Roschon Johnson on this year's roster came to light this week when the team cut Deion Hankins.

That is, as long as it's a healthy Johnson and this has not always been easy to find.

Johnson has often been counted out by fans and critics for this season because he struggled to stay healthy the last two seasons, and hasn't produced much since showing promise as a rookie. Now in his contract year, Johnson's biggest contribution so far was when the Bears turned him into their short-yardage ball carrier in 2024.

There are many ways to approach short-yardage carries and coach Ben Johnson is not going to take the conventional route with anything. Designating someone a short-yardage back and then running a power-I play straight up the gut just doesn't seem like his style.

So Johnson's contract year looks like a possible time for his departure, but here's why he could at least get the entire season to show he's worth keeping for at least 2026.

1. Size matters

Take a look at the roster and one thing becomes entirely clear. The Bears are too small at running back, at least in terms of weight. Quarterback Caleb Williams is almost 20 pounds heavier than any of the backs the Bears have, except for Johnson.

Cutting Hankins removed a bigger player who probably wouldn't have made the roster, anyway. They added 196-pound Salvon Ahmed.

Kyle Monangai represents their power option as a regular part of the offense. At 207 pounds, Monangai runs hard, explodes into tacklers, and breaks helmets, but most backs at his weight are not going to be knocking over tacklers. He's a rare smaller power back and needs yards untouched before contact to build up steam. Fortunately for him, the Bears' offensive line provided it last year.

When Ben Johnson had David Montgomery in Detroit, he had a power threat who weighed 225-230. Johnson is 227 pounds and the only Bears running back heavier than 207 pounds.

Starter D'Andre Swift is 204 pounds.

2025 practice squad player Brittain Brown showed promise in a win over Cincinnati but is 205 pounds and at 6-foot-1 more wiry than tightly wound and bouncing of tacklers.

They signed undrafted free agent Coleman Bennett. He is 185 pounds soaking wet.

While Ben Johnson had Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit as a speed threat, he also had a bigger power threat in either Montgomery or 224-pound Jamaal Williams.

There is no one like that with the Bears after Monangai except Roschon Johnson.

2. Pass blocker

If you go by Pro Football Focus grading, the Bears really were in need of a backfield upgrade at pass blocker last year. For years, they claimed Travis Homer was an excellent pass blocker in the backfield, and PFF had him graded No. 1 in the NFL in 2024. But Homer is gone now and they almost never used him.

Monangai last year was graded by PFF as the team’s lowest-graded pass blocker, and not just among running backs but on the entire roster. Among the league’s top 59 running backs, there were only 10 graded worse than Monangai. Swift had a good year as a pass blocker in 2025, but this hasn't really been a strength of his in most seasons, either.

No one can tell with any of the other players on their roster due to lack of experience. But Johnson can be an effective pass blocker in situations if needed, and has been.

He also has shown he has good hands to deploy as a receiver.

3. Running ability

The ability to run right through tacklers that Monangai showed last year is valued. Swift showed some of this last year when it definitely wasn't his strength in the past.

Memory gets clouded by time, but Johnson is better at running through tackles than both.

Johnson as never been worse than 2.0 yards after contact for a season and his average is 2.22 yards after contact for his career.

Monangai and Swift last year both averaged 1.9 yards after contact.

4. Special teams

The Bears have counted on Johnson as one of the deep players on kick returns at times, mainly as the blocker for the return man. However, he has enough speed and power to pick it up and return it if required. Special teams has always been one of his strengths, dating back to college at Texas. He has logged 386 special teams plays in the NFL.

Even when he played only seven games last season, Johnson made seven special teams tackles and actually tied for the team lead in solo special teams tackles with six.

5. Speed

Johnson definitely is not known for speed. Yet, he ran a faster 40 time than either Monangai or Brown. Monangai ran 4.6 and Brown 4.69. Johnson ran 4.58.

Bottom line

If the Bears cut Johnson, there would be a line of teams looking to pick him up. They'd also be ridding themselves of a bigger running back, which they don't have. A player like this can be used against specific personnel packages, like those with very light boxes. Ben Johnson loves matchups and this is a player they can use to take advantage of defenses if deployed properly.

It just depends on his ability to stay healthy, and he hasn't been able to do this either of the last two seasons.  Yet, there are numerous other players on the roster who have had the same problem.

It could be Johnson's last chance to stay in Chicago but there's no reason to say he doesn't deserve that last chance, because the other options just don't stack up to him in many ways.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.