Bears’ running game can’t stay stuck, especially after huge investment in offensive line

Despite the Bears’ expensive overhaul of their interior offensive line and a renewed focus on north-south running by D’Andre Swift, they have yet to make progress in the ground game.

The team ranks 24th in yards per game (102.3) and 25th in yards per carry (3.8) — near where it finished last season — and has only three rushing touchdowns. Coming off a career-worst 3.8 yards per rush last season, Swift is at 3.3 through four games and is getting no help from backups Roschon Johnson and Kyle Monangai.

Throughout those struggles, coach Ben Johnson has insisted Swift isn’t the problem. He sees it as more of an issue with missed blocking assignments and his own timing and design as a play-caller.

It’s a conversation the Bears shouldn’t be having after thinking they’d spent their way out of trouble.

In trading for left guard Joe Thuney and right guard Jonah Jackson and signing center Drew Dalman in free agency, they shelled out $145.5 million over the next three seasons. Thuney and Jackson are in the top 15 in average salaries at guard; Dalman is the fourth-highest-paid center.

Johnson has more of a reputation as a quarterback whisperer and expert in passing attacks, but that’s overblown. As Lions offensive coordinator the last three seasons, his team finished 11th in rushing in 2022, fifth in ’23 and sixth last season, and he takes the Bears’ shortcomings “personally” because he spends more time on running than passing.

“It’s hard to evaluate any of our running backs [because] when you turn on the tape, there are some free runners in the hole where the play is designed to go,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to learn from everything that we put on tape so far as an entire unit, so that those combinations can be a lot cleaner, and so we give our runners a chance.

“We do have some dynamic players, whether it’s our backs or our receivers, [and] if we can give them a chance to get a little bit of green grass, they take advantage of it. But we just haven’t done it consistently enough.”

Santos a concern

Johnson said Cairo Santos is in question for the game Monday against the Commanders as he works through a quad injury in his kicking leg. He said it’s a day-by-day situation.

The Bears signed former 49ers kicker Jake Moody, a third-round pick out of Michigan in 2023, to their practice squad a month ago. Moody made 84% of his field goals as a rookie, then dropped to 70.6% last season. He missed two field goals in the opener before the 49ers cut him.

Santos kicked field goals Wednesday for the first time since hurting his leg Sept. 28 against the Raiders and said he felt close to normal. He did not try any kickoffs.

Injury roundup

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (knee) and safety Jaquan Brisker weren’t on the field Wednesday during the portion of practice open to reporters.

Right tackle Darnell Wright worked on the side. He missed the Raiders game with an injured right elbow, and the Bears finished the game with Theo Benedet at left tackle and Ozzy Trapilo at right.

Notes

The last two Bears coaches — Matt Eberflus and Matt Nagy — went a combined 1-6 coming off their bye weeks. The lone win was Eberflus’ victory over Johnson and the Lions in 2023.

† The Saints waived former Bears wide receiver and returner Velus Jones. General manager Ryan Poles drafted him in the third round in 2022 and cut him last October. Since then, he has been with the Jaguars, Panthers and Saints.

† Former Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro, now with the 49ers, was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for making all four of his field goals, including a 59-yarder.