The Chicago Bears were not expecting the 2024 season to turn out as it did. Five wins and missing the playoffs was far from what most people were anticipating with consensus first overall pick Caleb Williams joining the roster.
But after their disappointing year, the front office made some dramatic changes to the team. Appointing offensive genius Ben Johnson as the head coach to pair with Williams was a massive positive. However, one analyst wants them to add an interesting wrinkle relatively soon.
Will the Chicago Bears Follow Ben Johnson and the Lions’ Formula?
A twin running back model was one of the keys to the Lions having the best offense in the entire NFL in 2024, according to PFSN’s Offense+ metric. As a result, many people believed Johnson would apply a similar formula with D’Andre Swift and Ashton Jeanty, if the latter fell to Chicago in the 2025 NFL Draft.
However, with the hopes of Jeanty not materializing, their focus might shift to 2026, where the latest mock draft from PFSN has them taking Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame in the first round.
“The Chicago Bears ultimately didn’t make a splash at running back, leaving the starting job to D’Andre Swift for another year. That said, they can certainly improve at the position, and in this 2026 NFL Mock Draft, they’re in a perfect position to do so,” wrote Jacob Infante for the 16th overall pick.
Last year, he totaled 1,125 yards and an absurd 17 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish, while also adding 237 yards and a couple of touchdowns through the air. As a result, Infante made a direct comparison to Jeanty himself.
“Jeremiyah Love isn’t far from the Ashton Jeanty comparisons you’ll hear in this class. He’s a dynamic, three-down runner with top-end burst, vision, balance, and fluid cuts. He’d be a natural fit as the primary back for Ben Johnson in Chicago.”
#NotreDame RB Jeremiyah Love is my RB1 of the summer, and runs like this help put it on display pic.twitter.com/3tMqJKMzBZ
— Andy (@AndyyNFL) May 22, 2025
For Chicago, their offense, which ranked in the bottom three last year, should certainly see some improvement on account of Johnson taking over a majority of the play-calling duties. However, to truly take that next step as a contender, the addition of Love is as good as it gets.
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It would certainly help Williams even more after an offseason where the team addressed the biggest area of need for them, the offensive line. Adding proven veterans like Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman has given them an excellent front line.
Now, with the right weapons, their quarterback, and the team as a whole, could take the entire operation into fifth gear.