Ryan Poles weighs in on the current state of the Bears RB room after the 2025 NFL Draft and whether any outside additions will be made
The Chicago Bears' running back room got a few additions during the 2025 NFL Draft, but not in the way many fans were hoping for.In terms of landing one of the top backs in the class last weekend, the board never worked out in the team's favor but they were still able to come away […]
The Chicago Bears' running back room got a few additions during the 2025 NFL Draft, but not in the way many fans were hoping for.
In terms of landing one of the top backs in the class last weekend, the board never worked out in the team's favor but they were still able to come away with Kyle Monangai in the seventh-round, at good value, and then signed Deion Hankins as an undrafted free agent.
Those two additions puts the position at six players with D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, and Ian Wheeler returning to the team in 2025.
That's a very capable room for head coach Ben Johnson and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy to work with over the next few months heading into the season, something general manager Ryan Poles reinforced belief in on Thursday.
"It's a good room. Really excited about Eric Bieniemy being here just in terms of, there's a long track record of development in his ability to raise the level of play of that room," Poles said via ESPN1000. "I really think with the additions to the O-Line, you're going to feel that when we're looking at the running back position in terms of how they perform and their efficiency this year."
Last year, the efficiency was beyond unacceptable on the ground. Swift was primary the team's threat on the ground totaling a career-high 253 carries, averaging a career-low 3.8 yards per attempt on the ground. With this new staff coming in, expectations have already been laid out for Swift going into his second year in Chicago.
“I feel really good about having worked with him in the past,” Johnson explained before the draft. “He had a really good season the year that I called it. We’re going to be defined with what we’re looking for in terms of tracks. We’re going to hold him accountable to that. I think he’s got good vision. We have to keep him on track there. The negative plays are one area that we’re going to talk to him about where, ‘hey, let’s limit those a little bit in terms of where we were a year ago.’ Not necessarily look for the home run every time. Have some more dirty plays where we’re getting the twos, the threes, the fours and staying on track on offense.”
Behind Swift, Johnson was second on the team at the position with only 55 attempts for the entire season, but he's short yardage work resulted in six touchdowns, tied for a team-high. Even if he missed three games, Johnson's usage, or lack there of, was a troubling to see for the second-year back. And that seems like something that will be corrected moving forward.
"Roschon, really looking forward to him playing a physical brand of football that we know he has," Poles added. "I think that role was a little bit out of wack last year. I think he can have a more physical role for us."
Behind those two, the depth chart gets interesting. Homer should have a head start on claiming a roster spot given his special teams value but now that Wheeler's healthy, he could challenge for that role. And then there's Monangai and Hankins, two physical-style rookies who will be competing for a spot as well in the coming months.
"We have a young group behind [Swift and Johnson] that comes along," Poles said. "Wheeler was doing some really good things last year with his high level of speed. Kyle's going to come in, a big physical runner, and looking forward to him develop and see where he lands on the depth chart as we go through training camp."
This group of six should give the coaching staff a clear vision of how this room truly looks once they get on the field and start practicing. Depending on how that goes, the front office isn't closing the door on adding outside help via free agency.
"We have a great pro staff that's led by Jeff King. We have a short list that we're looking at that are available. We always stay opportunistic there," Poles said. "We'll have conversations internally of is this going to be the right move for us, is there a fit, and we'll continue to have those conversations as we go…
"I know we really want to see this new coaching staff with the players we have to see if they believe that they can help us. But, again, we'll always keep our eye on the short list to see if we need to bring someone in to create competition and raise the level of talent in that room."
Some of the top free agent backs still on the market who might potentially on that short list could be Nick Chubb, JK Dobbins, or Jamaal Williams. But, it's clear no addition will be made soon until the coaches see what they have on the field first.
