Who Should I Start? Roschon Johnson or Ray Davis

Thursday, August 7, 4:04 PM

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson (foot) was held out of Thursday's practice with a foot injury, according to the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs. It's unfortunate news for the former Texas Longhorn, as he's reportedly been the primary short-yardage and goal-line option throughout camp for Chicago. Backfield mate D'Andre Swift is slated to handle most of the backfield work for the Bears, although it isn't unlikely that head coach Ben Johnson might choose to deploy a similar sort of committee as he did during his time in Detroit. Injuries have limited Johnson throughout his first two seasons, and now he's in danger of missing Sunday's meeting with the visiting Miami Dolphins. Rookie rusher Kyle Monangai and sixth-year pro Travis Homer will see an uptick in snaps if that's the case. Johnson is currently being selected just outside the top 175 in drafts.

Saturday, August 9, 7:07 PM

With Buffalo Bills star running back James Cook staging a hold-in and unwilling to play Saturday, Ray Davis earned the start in the team's 34-25 preseason-opening loss to the New York Giants. Davis rushed for just seven yards on four attempts and caught one of two targets for another seven yards. As the Bills' emergency kicker, his most memorable highlight came on a successful extra-point attempt in the second quarter. The 5-foot-8, 220-pound Davis joined the Bills as a fourth-round pick from Kentucky in 2024 and was a capable reserve behind Cook as a rookie. Davis appeared in all 17 of the Bills' regular-season games and totaled 442 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 113 rushing attempts. He also caught three TDs and pulled in 17 of his 19 targets for 189 yards. With third-down back Ty Johnson also in the fold, Davis took around 25% of offensive snaps last season. That should be the case again in 2025, but Davis might have an expanded role early on if Cook is unavailable. While Cook seems unlikely to sit out into Week 1 over dissatisfaction with his contract, Davis figures to be the main beneficiary if he does. Cook missed one game last season, a 23-20 win over the New York Jets in Week 6, and Davis accrued 152 total yards (97 rushing, 55 receiving) on 23 touches as Buffalo's go-to back.