A strong run game was a staple of Ben Johnson’s offenses with the Detroit Lions. As he takes over as head coach of the Chicago Bears, he is once again expected to pack a punch via the run.
As it stands, D’Andre Swift will be his lead rusher. A former Lion himself, Swift understands how to operate in a Johnson-led offense. Still, he will need to improve on his 2024 numbers to have a true feature role as a runner in 2025.
With Johnson looking for playmakers across the offense, he once again attempted to dive into the free agency running back pool. Before he re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bears tried to poach Kareem Hunt, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Eric Bieniemy, who worked with Hunt on the Chiefs, is now the Bears running back coach.
Another option for Hunt before he signed back with #Chiefs — the #Bears, whose running backs coach, Eric Bieniemy, spent two seasons with Hunt in Kansas City.
Chicago ended up bringing back Travis Homer, as @AdamSchefter reported. https://t.co/CArafbKXoF
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 18, 2025
Kareem Hunt’s NFL journey
Hunt was originally selected by the Chiefs in the third-round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He made an immediate impact, being voted to the Pro Bowl after running for a league-leading 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns. Hunt added another 455 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
The running back put up another strong campaign as a sophomore, running for 824 yards and seven scores while gaining another 378 yards and seven touchdowns through the air. However, controversy struck in 2018, as Hunt was released after a video of him kicking a woman was released.
He eventually landed with the Cleveland Browns and put together a strong tenure. Over five years, 64 games total, Hunt ran for 2,285 yards and 25 touchdowns, adding 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.
Hunt would wind back up in Kansas City for the 2024 season, rushing for 728 yards and seven touchdowns. The Chiefs decided to re-sign him to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Any thought of him joining the Bears is now hindsight.
Still, it gives a look into the type of runners Johnson is looking for. Hunt offers dual-threat versatility, but he was used much more as a runner in 2024. While it won’t be Hunt, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bears bring in another running back, even after re-signing Travis Homer.
State of Bears running back room
In his first year in Chicago, Swift turned 253 carries into 959 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 42 passes for 386 yards, proving he can be a big part of the passing offense. However, Swift’s 3.8 yards per game leaves much more to be desired. If Swift is going to remain in the lead rushing role, he must become a more consistent and forceful runner.
With Homer being more of a special teams player than true offensive threat, the only other real running back on the roster is Roschon Johnson. He proved he can handle the goal line work admirably, matching Swift’s six touchdowns in 2024. However, those scores were accompanied with just 150 rushing yards, showing that Johnson has reached his ceiling as the goal line back.
The questions at running back has led to plenty of buzz surrounding NFL draft darling Ashton Jeanty. The fact that the Bears were in on Hunt shows they understood running back is a position of need. With Hunt now off the table, it’ll be interesting to see if Chicago turns back to the free agency well or decides the NFL Draft is their best option.
Regardless, Johnson is looking for premier rushing talent. Whether it’s Swift, Johnson or another running back, they must understand that for quarterback Caleb Williams to be successful, the Chicago Bears must have a strong run game.
Hunt just won’t be a part of it.
Chicago Bears get shocking pick from Mel Kiper in latest ESPN mock draft
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