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The Chicago Bears are reacquiring a familiar face for their running back room after losing Roschon Johnson to a concussion in Week 13’s loss to Detroit.
According to the team’s transaction wire for December 3, the Bears re-signed running back Demetric Felton to their practice squad on Tuesday to reinforce their backfield with additional depth ahead of Week 14’s road game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Felton — a 2021 sixth-round pick for the Cleveland Browns — spent roughly two weeks with the Bears during this past summer’s training camp and played in each of their first two preseason games, registering four carries for 13 yards and two catches for 10 yards. He also has 209 scrimmage yards with two receiving touchdowns in 24 career games.
The Bears may need to call upon Felton for an elevation opportunity if Johnson misses time with his concussion. Ahead of their first practice of the week, they have just two other running backs on their 53-man roster: starter D’Andre Swift and Travis Homer.
The Bears also released offensive lineman Austen Pleasants from their practice squad on Tuesday in a corresponding roster move, cutting ties with him after about a month.
The Bears (4-8) will face the 49ers (5-7) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California at 4:25 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, December 8.
Roschon Johnson’s Status Remains Uncertain vs. 49ers
The Bears have been busy since their 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving. In the five days since then, the team has fired head coach Matt Eberflus, given Thomas Brown his second promotion in less than a month — this time up to interim head coach — and held press conferences aimed at reassuring the fan base about the vision for the future.
As a result, little is known outside of the building about Johnson’s status for Week 14.
Johnson exited last Thursday’s game against the Lions in the first half to be evaluated for a head injury and was later ruled out with a concussion. While it is unclear how far he has progressed — if at all — in the NFL’s concussion protocol, he will need to clear multiple medical hurdles before the Bears can clear him to return to action again.
Johnson’s latest injury marks his second known concussion since he entered the league as a fourth-round pick in 2023. He also sustained a concussion in Week 5 of his rookie season, which knocked him out of the game and kept him sidelined for the next two.
The Bears will have at least some update about Johnson following December 4’s first practice for the 49ers when they release their first injury report for the matchup, but it might not shed much light on his availability for the Week 14’s game in Santa Clara.
All Eyes on Bears Offense for Thomas Brown’s Debut
The Bears will need to adapt if they do not have Johnson available against the 49ers. He has been their preferred goal-line/short-yardage back through the first 12 games of the season and has scored a career-high six touchdowns on just 48 carries in that role.
Fortunately — or, perhaps, unfortunately — the Bears are already in “adapt and survive” mode with Brown preparing to make his head coaching debut in Sunday’s matchup.
Things have moved quickly for Brown over the past month. The Bears promoted him from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator on November 12 following the dismissal of Shane Waldron from the role. The shake-up yielded encouraging results as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams played better and the offense ran more efficiently during Brown’s three games calling the plays from the booth.
With his latest promotion, though, Brown will no longer have the luxury of calling the offense from the booth. As interim head coach, he will call the plays from the field while also balancing new responsibilities, such as calling timeouts and managing the clock. If he thrives, the Bears might have themselves a solid candidate for 2025’s head coaching job, but there is always a chance that they overload him and make the situation worse.
Either way, all eyes will be on Brown in Santa Clara.
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