With the exception of the few teams that have superstar running backs, the position no longer is looked at as mainly a one-man job. They’re usually looking for at least two, if not three, starting-caliber rushers.
The Bears might actually have found three, and that comes fresh off losing workhorse David Montgomery in free agency.
Very little went right in any facet of the offense in the season opener, but the running game is the most likely aspect to change quickly.
The Bears led the NFL with 177.3 yards rushing per game last season and still have Khalil Herbert, who led all running backs at 5.7 per carry. D’Onta Foreman was 18th in the league with 914 yards rushing for the Panthers last season, well ahead of Montgomery, and fourth-round pick Roschon Johnson debuted with 55 yards rushing and receiving combined and ran for a touchdown.
“We’ve got a backfield with three legitimate starters, so every day when we come to work, we’re competing with each other,” Herbert said. “It’s definitely an advantage to be able to plug and play. When a defense is tired, you’ve got fresh legs in the backfield.
“And for the longevity of the season, you definitely need three guys to carry the load.”
It’s significant for the Bears this season, which continues when they visit the Buccaneers on Sunday, and in the long run.
They needed 134 snaps out of their No. 3 or lower running backs last season and 188 in 2021. It’s a near-certainty Herbert, Foreman and Johnson will get significant carries this season and each could get the chance to be the primary back.
Johnson is particularly intriguing because the Bears could develop him into their lead back going forward. Much to the frustration of running backs throughout the league, it’s a position where most teams try to replenish as cheaply as possible.
That’s how Herbert got the job he has this season. As a 2021 sixth-round pick, his salary-cap hit is $972,677 this season and $1.1 million in 2024, whereas the Lions signed Montgomery for three years, $18 million.
If Johnson takes off, the Bears have him on a budget-friendly deal through 2026, which will help if they opt against paying Herbert.
At the moment, though, all three backs are essential.
The Buccaneers have defensive tackle Vita Vea and linebackers Lavonte David and Devin White — all three of whom have made a Pro Bowl — in the middle of their defense and just held the Vikings to 41 yards rushing on 17 carries. It’s very difficult to envision the Bears winning a game if they can’t run better than that.
They’ll also need help in pass protection, and that opens another path for Johnson to play more. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Johnson “does a really nice job,” and pass blocking will factor heavily into the game plan against a Bucs defense that blitzes like crazy. They blitzed a league-high 21 times in Week 1.
“It’s going to be a hotter game, so we’re going to need everybody to play,” Getsy said, referring to the forecast of 89 degrees and humid for Sunday in Tampa. “Roschon is ready to rock and roll with that.”
Herbert was among the Bears’ bigger letdowns against the Packers, managing just 27 yards on nine carries, and acknowledged the overall ground game wasn’t “where we want it to be.” Foreman ran five times for 16 yards. The Bears averaged 1.8 yards when they ran on first down, which only made things more difficult for quarterback Justin Fields.
While Fields has his own lengthy checklist of improvements going into this game, a steady rushing attack — the one thing the Bears have shown they’re capable of over the last two seasons — would lighten the pressure.
