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The Chicago Bears have Justin Fields at the controls for their offense, and have received plenty of hype due to his talent and potential. Meanwhile, the rest of the team has been seen as something of an afterthought.
However, Chicago's fourth-round pick out of Texas is getting phenomenal buzz entering training camp. Running back Roschon Johnson is a name that has impressed scout John Syty ever since the Bears selected him, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports.
“He’s someone we really feel compelled can become a pillar of this organization for a really long time,” Syty said at Halas Hall in April. “I feel really strongly about this guy. I’m excited for you guys to meet him. There’s a level of it factor to this kid the second he walks into the room that all you guys are going to feel. I’m a little bit emotional about this kid.
“I have a feeling this guy is going to be with us for a really long time.”
Johnson has the unique advantage of being a former quarterback. He has insight on the other positions of the football field that most other running backs do not have, according to those who have spent time with him and seen him play.
“Running backs aren’t necessarily trained to look at defenses like that,” Johnson later said of his time at quarterback. “It’s like OK, you look at what front you got, where the linebackers are and you can kind of get pigeonholed if you’re not used to looking at safeties and kind of just the big picture.
“I still look at defenses like that. Of course, the first thing I’m doing is keying the safeties, seeing where the rotation is coming form so I can get a beat on pressure and get a beat on linebacker alignments as well as the defensive front. Just kind of having that same mindset of reading the defense from top to bottom I think helps me diagnose things better to put myself in the best position.”