Running the football is back, baby.
Don’t just take my word for it, either.
We know, of course, that the NFL has become a passer-oriented league as the rules have changed and quarterbacks have become even more important to team success. That, in turn, has led a lot of people to dismiss building offense around running the football as an inefficient, antiquated way of playing the game.
But then, as will always happen in the NFL, teams adjusted. Defenses started playing with two high safeties more often to discourage deep passing. Smaller, faster linebackers and edge defenders that would’ve been blown off the field 30 years ago started wreaking havoc on pass-happy offenses built around spreading teams out, putting speed on speed.
Passing averages started to drop, from seasons of 235 and 240.2 yards per game in 2019 and 2020 to 209.7 this season.
And just like that, running back came back into focus. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs—the latter of whom was drafted when Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was offensive coordinator in Detroit—were drafted in the top 15 back in the 2023 NFL Draft. Players like Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry almost became the first two players ever to go for 2,000 rushing yards in the same season. Kenneth Walker just became the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis did it in 1998.
Teams are now running the ball more than they have since the 1990s and mid-2000s.
So don’t scoff when you hear the Chicago Bears are very interested in upgrading the running back position going into the 2026 season. After all, I did mention who their head coach is now, right? The guy whose offenses have ranked no lower than seventh in rushing attempts the last three seasons? Yeah, he wants to run the ball.
The question: Who does he want to run it with?
D’Andre Swift outplayed expectations in 2025, posting the best season of his career in terms of yards (1,087) and touchdowns (nine) and proving reliable as the season went on. In a vacuum, you’d say he’s earned the right to stick around through the end of his contract.
But the NFL is a cruel business, and, especially for a team with championship aspirations, people are always looking for your replacement. What’s more: Johnson has already moved on from Swift once, with the Lions letting him walk to the Eagles in 2023 in favor of signing David Montgomery and drafting Gibbs to replace him.
The Bears already have their “Knuckles” in Kyle Monangai, who would know the brown off a brick wall if you asked him to.
Their “Sonic” remains to be seen.
Signing a big-name free agent like Breece Hall might seem like a waste of money, especially if he costs $2-3 million a year more than Swift. But you have to consider just how much more value that extra money would net you. Just imagine what Hall, one of the most explosive backs in the NFL, could do behind this Bears offensive line.
My personal favorite: if you do enough with the defensive front via free agency or trades to make yourself feel good, save your splurge on this deep edge and defensive tackle draft for Day 2 and drive your fans insane by taking Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price with the No. 25 overall pick. (Who doesn’t love a little chaos?) After all, why pay $12 million annually for Hall or a similar veteran back when you can just…draft him? Sometimes, the best player available is what it is, especially late in the first round.
But whatever the Bears end up doing, let it serve as a reminder not just of what Johnson is as a play caller, but also what the NFL has become.
Because it might still be a passing league on paper. But running the ball, and having the horses to do it better than everyone else, still matters.