As expected, Falcons No. 8 overall draft pick Bijan Robinson leads all rookie running backs with 180 rushing yards and 255 scrimmage yards. He sits three spots ahead of former Texas backfield mate Roschon Johnson in rookie rushing yards.
But don't be surprised if Johnson, a fourth-round pick taken No. 115 overall, launches into an expanded role with the Bears and leapfrogs the Titans' Tyjae Spears and Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs to join Bijan atop the rookie rushing yard race.
While Spears has started as the backup to Derrick Henry in Tennessee, and Gibbs has been a complement to now-injured former Bear David Montgomery in Detroit, Johnson has a shot to be featured in Chicago as soon as Week 3 in Kansas City.
Johnson has earned only nine rushing attempts so far behind Khalil Herbert. But the rookie has amassed 52 yards and a TD, averaging a robust 5.8 yards per carry. He has also caught 8-of-9 targets for 45 yards, one of the most sure-handed pass-catchers in Justin Fields' tough start to the season. Herbert has more scrimmage yards — 122 to 97 — but he has been much more inefficient a runner, averaging only 3.9 yards per carry.
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Herbert might be a little better as a receiver, but Johnson provides more power and toughness between tackles. He served as the power-back complement to Robinson in Austin in his final college season, he has been adept in the Bears' passing game, and he has already established himself as a key young pass-protection asset for Fields.
The Bears are 0-2, and coach Matt Eberflus finds himself on the hot seat in Year 2. After going an NFL-worst 3-14 last season, they are headed to 0-3 as double-digit Week 3 underdogs to the Chiefs in Kansas City. In the days leading up to Sunday's game, Fields called out coordinator Luke Getsy and their offensive staff for not letting him maximize his athleticism.
No team in the NFL ran the ball more than the Bears last season, with Fields leading the way with 1,143 yards. Their run-play rate in 2022 was a league-high 56.2 percent. Inexplicably, that number has dropped to 37.2 percent, 25th in the NFL.
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The Bears haven't just shied away from utilizing Fields as a runner. They're trying to pass too much in general, despite adding only wide receiver DJ Moore to a limited aerial attack. Chicago's offensive line, which in conjunction with Fields gave up a league-high 55 sacks last season, is much better at traditional run-blocking than pass protection.
Fields has already been sacked 10 times in two games against the Packers and Buccaneers. The Chiefs are playing strong pass defense up front and on the back end, now once again revved up by defensive tackle Chris Jones, who had 1.5 sacks in his season debut against the Jaguars in Week 2.
The Bears' passing game hasn't looked good, with Fields struggling with a 70.7 passer rating. The Bears' pass defense has been terrible, which doesn't bode well against Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Chiefs.
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Look for the desperate Bears to overcorrect with the running game on the road to attack the weaker part of the Chiefs' defense, and also try to play some effective ball control to help keep Mahomes off the field. Johnson has been their best back, and he's easily the best choice to support Fields in that effort.
In two games, Herbert has out-snapped Johnson 59-52. There's good reason to believe this backfield will lean more toward the rookie moving forward. Johnson already rendered veteran free-agent addition D'Onta Foreman (another Texas product) inactive in Week 2 with his immediate sharp play.
The Bears look completely lost for the second season in a row, and they need to look more to their best young talent to find their identity. Johnson came out of Robinson's shadow with his impressive draft process and was still under-drafted as a Day-3 pick. Now it's Johnson's deserved turn to push toward challenging Robinson for the NFL rookie rushing crown, and with it, give his fantasy football managers a potential "league winner."
