Running back dubbed position to monitor as Chicago Bears work towards 53-man roster
The Chicago Bears must reach their 53-man roster by the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Tuesday, August 26, and according to one long-time team insider, Brad Biggs, running back is a position Bears fans should keep a close eye on.
D'Andre Swift is a lock to make the team. But after him? It's nothing but question marks.
Rookie Kyle Monangai is nursing a soft-tissue injury. Roschon Johnson has been out since August 7 with a foot injury. Travis Homer hasn't practiced since August 13 with a calf injury.
Ian Wheeler? Brittain Brown? They've both had solid preseasons, but can Chicago really go into the 2025 season with Swift and a collection of journeyman for a Ben Johnson offense that relies so heavily on the running game?
"It’s possible the Bears go light at running back on the initial 53-man roster Tuesday with plans to make a move or moves in subsequent days," Biggs wrote. "The roster will almost certainly look somewhat different by Thursday when the team begins a four-day break. General manager Ryan Poles could consider a waiver move, a free agent signing or possibly a late trade to bolster the back end of the depth chart."
Biggs is the most sourced insider on the Chicago Bears beat; if he says there's a chance a move at running back could be in the cards, it has to be taken seriously.
"Provided Monangai is back on the field soon, maybe even this week, it’s not an alarming situation," Biggs continued. "Swift is going to get the majority of the work but the Bears will have to do some juggling at running back, at least in the early stages of the regular season."
Wheeler has a chance to make the Bears' final roster over Johnson and Homer. In fact, at this point, he should. He's regained his pre-injury juice and was the Bears' most impressive preseason runner. If it wasn't for the fourth-round investment and bizarre hype that surrounded Johnson when he joined the team, he would've been cut by now. Homer, meanwhile, is more of a special teams asset than running back depth at this point.
The Chicago Bears' running back room is shaping up to be Swift as RB1, Monangai as RB2, and a "who knows" at RB3 and beyond.
