The rookie running back who lost his roster spot with the Chicago Bears earlier this week already has a new workout opportunity with a rebuilding AFC team.
According to the NFL’s daily transaction wire for August 19, the Tennessee Titans had former Bears running back Coleman Bennett in the building on Wednesday as part of a six-man workout group that also included one other running back and four linebackers.
Bennett signed with the Bears in the spring after going undrafted out of Kennesaw State and spent the offseason program and the first three weeks of training camp with them, vying for a place on their depth chart behind starter D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
Despite scoring a touchdown in his limited action during the Bears’ preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, though, Bennett landed on waivers just two days later.
The Titans signed the other running back — veteran D’Ernest Johnson — to their 90-man roster from Wednesday’s workout group, but Bennett left without a contract. Even still, they could keep him in mind in the coming weeks as a practice-squad possibility.
Coleman Bennett Fell Short in Bears’ RB3 Competition
Bennett didn’t have an easy road to making the Bears’ roster as one of several running backs in contention for the No. 3 role on the depth chart behind Swift and Monangai.
While he racked up more than 1,000 scrimmage yards in his final season at Kennesaw State in 2025 and clocked a 4.25-second time in the shuttle drill at the Owls’ Pro Day, he landed in a situation in Chicago that demanded more than well-rounded quickness.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson indicated after last Saturday’s preseason win over the Browns that special teams contributions and pass blocking will decide the backup role. Bennett is no shrimp at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, but his experience blocking high-end collegiate competition is limited — and it only gets more challenging at the NFL level.
The Bears also had three other running backs with more experience than Bennett. Roschon Johnson, a 2023 fourth-round pick, seems the frontrunner for the RB3 role with two preseason games left to play, but Salvon Ahmed and Brittain Brown could gain some ground on him over the next 10 days before the 53-man cutdown deadline arrives.
In the end, a UDFA breakthrough just wasn’t in the cards for Bennett and the Bears.
Could Bears Sign Another Running Back Before Week 1?
The Bears are likely to spend a significant portion of their remaining preseason games testing out the three running backs — Johnson, Ahmed and Brown — as fits for their 53-man roster, but could Chicago look for help elsewhere if no clear RB3 choice emerges?
The jury is still out on whether Johnson is back in the good graces of the Bears’ coaches after an unimpressive third season in which he played seven games due to injuries and healthy scratches. Meanwhile, Brown and Ahmed both spent 2025 on practice squads.
While the Bears could ultimately pick one of the three and put their faith in him as their top backup, they could also explore their options on the waiver wire during roster cuts. A few analysts have suggested the Pittsburgh Steelers could part ways with former Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, who may interest the Bears as a high-ceiling project.
Several veteran options are also available for the Bears in free agency, including former Los Angeles Chargers star Austin Ekeler along with Nick Chubb and Antonio Gibson.
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