The Chicago Bears were hit hard by the injury bug at the running back spot heading into last week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. D’Andre Swift was sidelined by a groin injury, while Roschon Johnson was banged up again with a back injury.
Losing two running backs before a regular-season game isn’t ideal, no matter the team. But thankfully, the Bears got a herculean effort from rookie Kyle Monangai, who erupted for 198 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches. Meanwhile, Chicago’s RB2, Brittain Brown, added 37 yards and a touchdown on five carries.
That said, Chicago's RB situation appears to be cloudy after that contest. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears worked out four backs -- Israel Abanikanda, Raheem Blackshear, Montrell Johnson, and ShunDerrick Powell -- on Tuesday, which raises some questions about the state of the run game in Week 10.
Bears’ RB Workout Could Provide More Clarity on D’Andre Swift
The likely first thought that comes to mind after these workouts is the health of D'Andre Swift. Late last week, Bears head coach Ben Johnson told reporters that Swift’s groin injury has “been a chronic thing for a while now” and even admitted that the injury possibly happened before the team’s Week 6 game against the Washington Commanders (h/t Adam Jahns of CHGO).
That’s not good to hear, as this could potentially be an ongoing issue for the veteran running back throughout the second half of the year. But if that’s the case, the Bears still have Monangai, who clearly showed he can carry a huge workload.
However, that also then affects the depth behind the rookie, as Johnson has been a non-factor on offense, and Brown only has two practice squad elevations left. Chicago likely doesn’t want to use Travis Homer on offense, who is more of a special teams player, so getting a look at these four running backs could be a signal that Brown is being promoted soon and they need someone to take his spot on the PS.
Blackshear has the most NFL experience among the four RBs, but he’s better suited to be used on special teams as a returner. Meanwhile, Johnson and Powell are both undrafted free agent rookie RBs.
This leaves Abanikanda, who has been on the workout circuit during the first two months of the season after being let go by the Green Bay Packers in early September. Abanikanda has some NFL regular-season experience, as he appeared in six games with the New York Jets in 2023. At 5-foot-10 and 217 lbs, Abanikanda might be the best choice to get signed if the Bears need another guy in the coming weeks.