Running blame: Bears’ ground game is a problem

While the arrow is pointing up four games into coach Ben Johnson’s first season with the Bears, replicating the success he had on offense with the Lions already seems a little more difficult than he might have anticipated.

And Caleb Williams isn’t the drag on progress. The 2024 No. 1 overall pick still has a long way to go but has made reasonable if not impressive gains under Johnson. When Johnson became the Lions’ offensive coordinator in 2022, he inherited Jared Goff, a six-year veteran with Super Bowl credentials. Williams, in his second NFL season, is a bigger project but with the potential for a bigger payoff.

If there has been a crimp in Johnson’s grand plan, it’s the running game. In Detroit, Johnson fast-tracked the Lions’ offensive renaissance on the ground. After four games in 2022, Lions running backs — mostly D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams — were averaging 142.3 yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry with seven touchdowns. In four games in 2025, Bears running backs — mostly Swift and seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai — are averaging 62.3 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry with one touchdown.

That has been a disappointment, considering the Bears’ concerted effort to improve their offensive line by trading for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney and former Pro Bowl guard Jonah Jackson, signing center Drew Dalman in free agency and drafting tackle Ozzy Trapilo in the second round.

The offensive line appears to be an upgrade, but mostly because the bar was set so low. Swift has struggled, averaging 46.8 yards per game and a career-low 3.3 yards per carry. Monangai has played a bit role — 17 carries for 62 yards and 3.6 yards per carry. And third-year back Roschon Johnson, whom the Bears loved like a son when he was drafted in the fourth round in 2023, suddenly is a forgotten man. He has yet to play a snap on offense this season.

And Johnson clearly put the onus on those responsible for creating the holes — blockers and coaches, including himself.

“It’s hard to evaluate any of our running backs right now; when you turn on the tape, there’s some free runners in the hole where the play was supposed to go,” Johnson said. “I take it personally because I actually spend more time on the run game than I do on the passing game.”

So when the Bears play the Commanders on Monday at Northwest Stadium, establishing the running game might be a bigger priority than Williams’ progress under center. His success almost certainly depends on it. Williams’ only real success against the Raiders in Week  4 came during a desperate fourth-quarter drive when the running game played only a supporting role. Williams, in fact, was the leading rusher on that go-ahead drive — 18 yards on two carries. Swift had 13 yards on four carries, including the two-yard touchdown. But Williams set that up instead of the other way around.

But, as is the case with Williams, it’s a work in progress that could take awhile.

“We’re not reacting fast enough,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to learn from everything we put on tape as an entire unit, so that those combinations can be a lot cleaner . . . so we give our runners a chance, because we have some dynamic players — our backs or our receivers — that if we can give them a chance to get a little bit of green grass, they take advantage of it.’’