Ben Johnson finds his replacement for Eric Bieniemy, and it opens up a fascinating trade possibility to upgrade from D’Andre Swift
Eric Studesville will join the Chicago Bears staff for the 2026 season.
The Chicago Bears got dealt a favorable hand when it came to the number of assistant coaches that head coach Ben Johnson was forced to replace going into his second season.
As of right now, the Bears only lost two assistant coaches: offensive coordinator Declan Doyle (who took the offensive coordinator job with the Baltimore Ravens) and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy (who took the offensive coordinator job with the Kansas City Chiefs).
The hunt is already underway to find the next offensive coordinator, but the team’s next running backs coach has already been announced.
Ben Johnson set to hire Eric Studesville as the team’s next RBs coach
The Bears are going from one Eric to another to lead the running back position, with the team expected to hire former Miami Dolphins associate head coach and running backs coach Eric Studesville. It’s a strong hire by Johnson, which will ensure the running back position continues to excel.
The Bears were the only team in the NFL to have two running backs rush for 750+ yards in D’Andre Swift and seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai. Swift, especially, had a resurgent year back in Johnson’s scheme, setting a career-high in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Studesville arrives in Chicago with a long history of success coaching the running back position. Some of his prized students include Tiki Barber, Willis McGahee, Fred Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, Raheem Mostert, and recently De’Von Achane.
Johnson and Studesville overlapped in Miami for two seasons under head coach Adam Gase’s staff when Johnson was working with the wide receivers coach, and Studesville was the running backs coach. Studesville would have been a strong option last season, but Johnson couldn’t pry him away from Mike McDaniel’s staff.
Studesville’s arrival in Chicago opens the possibility of a fascinating trade proposal
As good as Swift was during the 2025-26 season back in this offensive scheme with a revamped offensive line leading the way, he still left a lot of meat on the bone sometimes, and finding an upgrade for his role is certainly a conversation worth having this offseason.
Let’s not forget that Johnson previously shipped off Swift after the first season working with him in 2022 with the Detroit Lions. The Bears were already rumored to be in the market for an upgrade if an option makes sense, and it doesn’t look like many top options will hit the open market.
But after hiring Studesville, the obvious upgrade is staring the Bears in the face: trading for Achane. The previous regime in Miami was already shopping Achane during last year’s trade deadline, with NFL insider Ian Rapoport noting the team was looking for a second-round pick and more as the return price.
No team agreed to a deal, but the Bears should call up the Dolphins and see if new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is willing to move the 24-year-old back. The logical trade offer would be to package Swift and a second-round pick for Achane, with both players entering the final year of their contracts.
Moving on from Swift would save the Bears nearly $7.5 million in cap space for 2026. And with Achane still having another year on his rookie deal, the new money on an extension wouldn’t hit until 2027, when the Bears have a much more manageable cap situation. The Dolphins still get one controlled year with a veteran back and avoid having to pay Achane a top-of-the-market deal.
Meanwhile, Johnson adds an obvious upgrade to his offense that better fits the Jahmyr Gibbs role in playing alongside Monangai. During the 2025 season, Achane ranked second with 4.1 yards after contact per attempt and fifth with 84.4 rushing yards per game among RBs with 40+ carries. Swift, for context, averaged 2.9 yards after contact per attempt and 67.9 rushing yards per game.
For those saying a RB coach wouldn’t have this much say in a personnel decision, Bieniemy is the main reason the Bears drafted Monangai in the seventh round, and two other positional assistants, Antwaan Randle El and Al Harris, played a major role in drafting Luther Burden III and Zah Frazier. Ben Johnson trusts his staff, and he’s the top football guy in that building now.
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