There’s been a lot of talk about one specific Chicago Bears veteran facing a bleak future on the 53-man roster: running back Roschon Johnson.
Johnson, who’s heading into the final year of his four-year, $4.6 million rookie contract, hasn’t been the player the Bears expected him to be since being drafted in the fourth round back in 2023, and he watched as 2025 seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai blossomed into the team’s RB2 behind D’Andre Swift last season.
Dealing with multiple concussions and other minor injuries, Johnson appeared in just seven games with only two carries. That said, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay believes Johnson is among one of five likely cap casualties around the NFL.
Bears RB Roschon Johnson Listed as Cap Casualty With Panthers as Top Landing Spot
Kay provided more context on why he believes Roschon Johnson is a likely cap casualty.
“While Johnson showed some glimpses of talent during his rookie campaign—finishing with 352 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 81 carries—he’s gone on to regress in back-to-back seasons. Johnson managed to score a career-high six touchdowns on the ground in 2024, but still averaged an abysmal 2.7 yards per carry on his 55 totes.
With Johnson rarely seeing the field and getting relegated mostly to special teams work in the seven games he was active for last year, it would be hard to fault the Bears for moving on from the running back. Johnson logged a mere two carries and didn’t see a single target in 2025.”
With Johnson’s expected release, Kay pinned the Carolina Panthers as Johnson’s top landing spot.
“A fresh start could be exactly what Johnson needs to get his career on track. There are several teams with backfield holes that need filling, including the Carolina Panthers. With Rico Dowdle departing in free agency, Carolina will turn back to Chuba Hubbard as their starter with a pair of unproven youngsters in Jonathon Brooks and Trevor Etienne competing for depth roles.”
• 138 carries • 519 yards • 8 TDs
Injuries, inconsistent usage, goal-line roles, special teams….he especially fell out of favor when Ben Johnson took over.
Chicago saves $1.145M in cap space by moving on.
Bears Undrafted Running Back Coleman Bennett Could Be the One to Push Johnson Out of Chicago
Part of releasing a player like Roschon Johnson means that the Bears coaching staff is confident in the running backs who fall behind Swift and Monangai in the depth chart, and undrafted RB Coleman Bennett out of Kennesaw State could be the unlikely emerging star that pushes Johnson out of a job in Chicago.
“I think the RB3 role is up for grabs,” Harrison Graham of Chat Sports said. “And how are you going to win that job? Well, in Bennett’s case, he’s shown upside as a pass catcher. And can he play on special teams? That’ll be the key. If he can, he’ll have a chance because that’s where Roschon is kind of stuck around is he’s a pretty good special teamer. So with Travis Homer gone, they need that third running back to do those type of duties.”
Whether it’s Bennett, Salvon Ahmed, whom the Bears recently signed, or a running back who’s not even on the roster yet, it looks like Johnson has a tough hill to climb to make the 53-man roster.
Bears $4.6M Veteran Listed as Cap Casualty With Panthers as Top Landing Spot