While the Chicago Bears may have finished with the worst record in the NFL, there is plenty of hope surrounding this season. After finding prior diamonds in the rough with Darnell Mooney and Jack Sanborn, the Bears will look to get a moderate contribution from this years squad. A late round pick Roschon Johnson could be this years Hidden Gem.
Roschon Johnson Is The Hidden Gem For The 2023 Chicago Bears
Who Is Roschon Johnson
Sad to say that many may only know him for being the backup to generational prospect Bijan Robinson, Johnson had a solid career at Texas. While he may have been the Robin of this dynamic duo, he has plenty of talent in his own right. Watching games from last season, Johnson pops off the screen by his physical style of play. Some may use the argument that he wasn’t good enough to beat out Robinson so he can’t succeed at the next level. There have, however, been plenty of examples of electric duos in college that have succeeded in the NFL such as Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas, Reggie Bush and Lendale White, Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders.
Who He Will Remind Fans Of
Bears fans will get a hit of nostalgia when they watch Roschon Johnson play. He has a very similar style to former Bear stud Jordan Howard. As they both share a similar size, they also share a similar style of play. Both running backs seek out contact rather than how to get around it. They share a low center of gravity which they both use at the point of contact to keep their feet driving. While he may not blow fans away with his pure burst, Johnson can get this team back to playing Chicago football. This team will look more and more like the one this former offensive lineman Ryan Poles is trying to put together.
Roschon Johnson REFUSED to go down 💪 pic.twitter.com/SnUm3hwqbR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 19, 2021
The Competition
While Trestan Ebner was an early free agency singing, the main competition resides in D’Onta Foreman and Khalil Herbert. Foreman is coming of a strong year in Carolina and will look to build off that to earn himself a role in this offense for years to come. Khalil Herbert has this fanbase excited, but there isn’t one fan that honestly thinks he brings everything David Montgomery brought to the table. Herbert has shown flashes of solid play but some questions remain whether he can be the bell cow.
Every dash needs a smash. Roschon Johnson can use his physicality to wear defenses down so by the time Fields wants to take off, the defense will be gassed. This could be a similar duo to Howard and Cohen. Foreman and Herbert are both solid players that any team would take, but their age is a factor. At this point Johnson being the backup actually helps him. He now comes in with less tread on the tire than most younger running backs would. With the current situation with running backs in this league we have seen the same formula over and over again. Put a ton of miles on the odometer prior to the first contract, and then cut bait. Johnson will get a chance to prove himself and if he proves he can handle the workload, the Bears won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
