Justin Fields fuels higher snap count for Roschon Johnson with latest comments
It only took one game for a Chicago Bears rookie to earn some high praise from quarterback Justin Fields. Roschon Johnson, the Bears fourth-round pick back in April, impressed more than just those who studied closely to the loss against the Packers in Week 1. The rookie running back scored one of the offense's two […]
It only took one game for a Chicago Bears rookie to earn some high praise from quarterback Justin Fields.
Roschon Johnson, the Bears fourth-round pick back in April, impressed more than just those who studied closely to the loss against the Packers in Week 1.
The rookie running back scored one of the offense's two touchdowns on Sunday, despite his limited usage. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson finished the game with a 79.5 PFF rushing grade while averaging four yards per carry.
His production in his NFL regular season debut certainly caught the attention of his quarterback. While speaking to the media prior to practice on Wednesday, Fields took the time to complement the rookie and his work effort in Chicago.
"I think since day one, he's kind of been a grown man to be honest with you," Fields said. "He's handled himself as a grown man. He's came in here and worked and he's always one of the last people off the field."
Johnson only lined up for 29 snaps against the Packers but was used all over the field when his number was called. In the limited role, he was able to gain 20 rushing yards and caught six of his seven targets for an additional 35 yards.
"This first game, we asked him to a lot from a lot of different positions, running back of course, he was lined up at receiver a couple of times and I mean, he handled it very well," Fields added. "Definitely proud of him for doing that, for getting so much put on his plate and the way he handled it. So I'm just excited for him, in his future, and what he's going to be able to do for us."
With the exception of Fields, the Bears rushing attack on Sunday was only able to produce 63 yards on the ground. It was a striking difference to start the season from the team who led the league with 177 rushing yards per game last season.
Looking ahead toward Week 2, the Bears have another chance to potentially show improvement just by giving their rookie running back more opportunities against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 22-year-old proved his explosiveness and three-down ability can be utilized as a serious threat for the Bears' offense. His blocking effort and prowess was substantially one of the best on the entire offense. Johnson refused to take plays off and was continuing to drive defenders down the field.
His sudden emergence could force Chicago to change the offensive scheme entirely by implementing more two-back sets into the game plan, similar to the play below, in order to still keep running backs Khalil Herbert and D'Onta Foreman on the field.
However, sooner or later, the Bears rookie is going to make a push for the leading role at the position. If there's any positive takeaways from a discouraging Week 1, it has to be Johnson. The rookie showed he's capable of taking over the backfield and the game at any moment, the coaches just need to give him the chance.
Bears are ‘all on deck to improve’ after disappointing loss
Changes will need to be made this week.
Featured image via: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
