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The Chicago Bears are looking to add to their running back room with their first 2025 preseason game just around the corner. Without many options on the market, Chicago is eyeing former Detroit Lions tailback Jamaal Williams.
The Bears brought Williams in for a workout on Saturday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. Although he has spent the last two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, he made waves during his previous two years with the Lions. Williams notched a league-leading 17 rushing touchdowns with Detroit in 2022.
Should Williams join the roster, he would immediately become the favorite to be the team's short-yardage back. Williams averages just 3.9 yards per carry in his career, but he has always had his most success in between the tackles. Williams would also reunite with D'Andre Swift, with whom he shared a backfield on the Lions in 2021 and 2022.
With under one month remaining until Week 1, the Bears are working with a short time to sign another running back for the preseason. Gus Edwards, Zack Moss, Chase Edmonds and Jeff Wilson Jr. headline the remaining veterans still without a team.
Bears' current 2025 running back room
The Bears currently lack a true between-the-tackles runner. They drafted seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai to potentially fill that role, but Roschon Johnson is currently the frontrunner in that department. Johnson “feels like a lock” to be Chicago's short-yardage runner through training camp, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin.
The group still follows Swift, who returns after leading the team with 959 rushing yards in 2024. While the total was the second-highest of his career, he achieved it on a career-low 3.8 yards per carry.
The Bears did not get much production from any other running back, with Johnson accumulating just 150 rushing yards in 2024. Quarterback Caleb Williams was the team's second-leading rusher with 489 rushing yards on the year.
The entire unit is expected to improve significantly in 2025. Not only do the Bears have a much improved offensive line — adding two-time All-Pro Joe Thuney and former Pro Bowler Jonah Jackson — but they should benefit from Ben Johnson's hiring of Eric Bieniemy as the team's new running backs coach.
Bieniemy has spent the last seven years as an offensive coordinator, but built his post-playing career as an elite running backs coach. The last time he served in that role, he coached Kareem Hunt to a Pro Bowl season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017.
