The Bears have their top of the running back room sorted out, but the fight for the last spot is already worth watching.
With Chicago’s first preseason game now in the books, a few training camp battles finally got some live reps attached to them. Most of the starters sat, which turned the matchup into a proving ground for players trying to lock down a 53-man roster spot. At running back, Roschon Johnson had the edge for the day, but Salvon Ahmed showed enough versatility to keep that third-back race alive.
Chicago’s foundation at the position is already in place. D’Andre Swift is coming off the most productive season of his career and is heading into a contract year, which puts even more attention on what he does next in Chicago. The Bears may extend him, but that’s not guaranteed, and running backs rarely get treated like sure things in the NFL.
Behind Swift is Kyle Monangai, the second-year back out of Rutgers who was selected in the seventh round of the 2025 Draft. Monangai climbed quickly and settled into a clear role as part of the team’s one-two punch. The Bears found success with that setup, and there’s every reason to keep leaning into it.
That leaves Johnson and Ahmed competing for whatever comes next.
Johnson has been with the Bears since 2023 after arriving as a fourth-round pick out of Texas. He’s entering the final year of his rookie deal and has totaled 138 carries for 519 yards across 36 games.
He played in 15 games in 2023, then 14, and in 2025 he appeared in just 7 contests after Monangai arrived. With an extension looking unlikely right now, Johnson has plenty riding on this season.
Ahmed’s path is different, but the stakes are just as real. He’s not a rookie, and he’s been around the league enough to know how thin the margins are.
His stops include the 49ers, Dolphins, Broncos, Colts, and now the Bears, with most of his actual NFL action coming in Miami. The rest of that journey has mostly been spent on practice squads.
Neither back is walking into anything new. Both know what this opportunity is.
Preseason is where players keep careers alive, and for Johnson and Ahmed, every snap matters. The Bears may hope they never need either one, but if Swift or Monangai goes down, the next call is already obvious.
It’s only the start of preseason, but the back end of the Bears’ running back room already has some intrigue. Johnson had the lead on this first look, yet Ahmed made enough noise to keep the competition tight.
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