The Chicago Bears’ skill-position core has gone down in flames. Amidst a relatively underwhelming season, a ton of injuries have shaken up the roster. However, none more so in recent weeks than in the running back position.
While D’Andre Swift was coming off a Pro Bowl season with the Philadelphia Eagles, he hasn’t had the same level of success in Chicago. Now, his status remains questionable going into Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Instead, the team is going to have to rely on the rest of their depth to make up for the loss of Swift.
Chicago’s Running Back Depth Chart
Swift has been the clear-cut primary back for the Bears this season. So far, through 13 games, he’s averaging just under 15 carries a game for a little over 57 yards a game. For the primary running back, the numbers are far from ideal and speak further to the porous O-Line for Chicago.
However, with injuries keeping him out of their divisional tilt against the Minnesota Vikings, the onus is going to fall on the rest of their rushing core. Ideally, Roschon Johnson would step in to fill that hole.
But Johnson is suffering an injury of his own. As a result, he’s out for Monday Night Football. As such, the responsibility of the ground game for the Bears is going to fall on the young shoulders of Travis Homer if Swift can’t go.
Who Is Travis Homer?
Homer was a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Seattle Seahawks after a solid career at the University of Miami, where he had nearly 2,000 rushing yards over three seasons.
During his five-year stint with the Seahawks, Homer got very little consistent opportunities. Never exceeding the 25-carry mark for a season, his best season came in 2021 when he had a 73-yard run.
In 2023, Homer signed a two-year contract worth $4.5 million with the Bears. In Year 1, he didn’t get any playing time throughout the year. Year 2 has been a similar story, with three total carries worth 16 yards this season.
Who Is Roschon Johnson?
Roschon Johnson has been a jack-of-all-trades in his short career so far. At the high school level, Johsnon was a dual-threat quarterback for Neches-Groves High School. In his career, he would finish as the all-time school leader for passing yards with 7,710 yards, while adding 4,900 rushing yards.
Making his way to Texas as a four-star recruit, Johnson was shifted to a full-time running back. Over his three seasons, he was a consistently solid producer, playing behind standout Bijan Robinson.
Eventually, Johnson made his way onto the professional stage, after being drafted 115th overall by the Bears in the 2023 NFL Draft. Year 1 was a solid affair for him as he tallied 352 yards on 82 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
This season, opportunities have been relatively hard to come by behind D’Andre Swift. As a result, his overall numbers have been less than stellar, with his best outing coming against the Green Bay Packers (33 yards on 10 carries).
Who Is Ian Wheeler?
Ian Wheeler is a relatively unknown quantity. An undrafted free agent, the Bears picked him up in April. During the preseason, Wheeler got some action, even recording two TDs against the Buffalo Bills.
