<p>The key to <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears" target="_blank" >the Bears</a>’ upcoming season is the development of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, and certainly that has been Ben Johnson’s chief task over his year and a half as head coach, but, quietly, the best part of the offense last season was the rushing attack.</p><p>The Bears were third in the NFL at 144.5 yards per game and did it with a pair of wayward running backs in D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. Swift was coming off of a down season and looked like a bad contract, while Monangai was the 22nd running back drafted in his class and drifted to the seventh round.</p><p>Both of them were resurgent, though, and thrived thanks to three key elements: Johnson’s offense, a thoroughly revamped offensive line that was one of the league’s best and the hiring of fiery, vastly overqualified running backs coach Eric Bieniemy.</p><p>Recapturing, or perhaps exceeding, that tenacious ground game is crucial.</p><p>They made no moves at running back, <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/02/16/bears-rb-dandre-swift-hopes-he-convinced-team-to-keep-him-heading-into-final-year-of-contract" >opting to keep Swift</a> at close to $9 million rather than cut him for a dead salary-cap hit of about $1 million. They’re down starting center Drew Dalman (retired) and left tackle Ozzy Trapilo (injured).