Roschon Johnson, Bears Who Must Play More Snaps in Week 2 vs. Buccaneers
The Chicago Bears received a glimpse into what their future running back depth chart would look like in Week 1.
The Bears utilized Roschon Johnson, D'Onta Foreman and Khalil Herbert in the loss to the Green Bay Packers. None of them played more than 40 percent of the offensive snaps.
Johnson, a rookie out of Texas, showed explosiveness in both aspects of the offense on Sunday, and he could end up as the team's top running back by the end of the season.
Chicago must put the most dangerous playmakers around Justin Fields at all times in order to win in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in the coming weeks.
That could lead to more sets with multiple running backs and tight ends in Week 2 and beyond.
Roschon Johnson
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Johnson showed signs of why he could be the Bears' No. 1 running back in the near future in his NFL debut.
The Texas product had 20 rushing yards and a touchdown on five carries and then caught six of his seven targets for 35 yards.
Johnson barely earned more snaps than Foreman and Herbert in the NFC North loss to the Packers. He was on the field for 39 percent of the team's offensive plays. Herbert had a 36 percent snap count and Foreman was at 28 percent, per Pro Football Reference.
The Bears coaching staff should be more willing to let Johnson take over games in the coming weeks because of the flashes he displayed in Week 1.
Johnson has a dynamic play-making ability that the other two running backs lack, and if he shows that again in Week 2, he could earn the bulk of the offensive snaps soon.
Robert Tonyan
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Robert Tonyan was barely on the field against his former team.
Chicago's No. 2 tight end participated in four percent of the Week 1 offensive snaps.
No one expects Tonyan to overtake Cole Kmet on the depth chart, but he needs to be used more than he was in Week 1.
Chicago does not have a deep group of pass catchers. That unit is better than last year with D.J. Moore in the fold, but there needs to be depth in case the No. 1 wide out is shut down in certain games.
Tonyan could be used more in blocking and red-zone situations to start. His snap numbers could improve in Week 2 if the Bears put together some more consistent drives that end up in the red zone.
Tonyan can be a valuable blocker in the run game, and he could record the occasional touchdown if Moore and Kmet are covered on pass plays in that area of the field.
Yannick Ngakoue
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Yannick Ngakoue produced two tackles for loss, a sack and a quarterback hit in Week 1.
The veteran pass-rusher made that impact while playing in 68 percent of the Bears' defensive snaps.
That is a sizeable number for the defensive end, but if he is going to make that type of impact each week, he needs to be on the field closer to 80 percent of the time.
Only DeMarcus Walker earned more playing time among Chicago's defensive ends on Sunday. He had two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit, but he did not earn a sack, like Ngakoue.
Chicago needs to put Baker Mayfield under pressure right away in Week 2 and Ngakoue is the perfect man for that job.
A higher snap count could lead to a multiple-sack performance for the player who produced 19.5 sacks in the last two seasons.
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