The Bears offense has an overshadowed issue that needs to be addressed immediately in order to support Caleb Williams

The Chicago Bears used to have a top rushing attack in the NFL over the last two seasons under offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Through two weeks under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, that area of the game has been a major disappointment.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of the issues can be credited to the poor play of the offensive line during the course of the first two games.

But once again in Week 2, the Bears failed to get anything going on the ground and it's seriously affecting their rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams.

Going into his first NFL season, the Bears felt that Williams needed to lean on the entire team as he developed. So far, the defense and special teams have done their job perfectly. It's the offense around Williams that hasn't been able to hold their end of the bargain.

Looking past the horrid offensive line play when it comes to protecting their rookie quarterback, I think everyone expected more out of the Bears run game in 2024. After quickly scooping up running back D'Andre Swift in free agency, the dynamic back hasn't be able to show anything that was expected through his first two games.

In the Bears Week 2 loss to the Houston Texans, it was Williams who led the team on the ground with 44 yards on five carries while avoiding heavy pressure all night. Swift, however, managed to rush for 1.3 yards on 14 carries.

"We want to run the ball better than what we did," head coach Matt Eberflus said after the game . "It was OK, but not good enough. We've got to establish the run game. I think it's always a good friend to a young quarterback when you can do that."

In Week 1, outside of his 20-yard gain late in the fourth quarter, Swift largely struggled to get anything going on the ground as well. His usage running up the middle has been equally as frustrating as his production after signing a large deal this offseason.

Swift's style of play has been a horrible pairing with the lack of lanes created by the O-line. The explosive back was used a lot better in the receiving game on Sunday, catching four passes for 24 yards after having just one target in the season opener.

Looking ahead to Week 3, the answer for the Bears' issues on the ground might be less Swift, not more, due to the blocking up front. The style of play of Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson is a much better fit to gain yards behind that offensive line, two players who averaged over 4.0 yards per carry in 2023 behind mainly the same unit.

Through two games, Herbert has toted the ball a total of four times for seven yards. However, his goal line touchdown in Week 2 proved he's more capable of fighting for the hard yardage and making his own holes in the run game. Something Johnson was able to show as a rookie , too, yet he played zero offensive snaps against the Texans.

The Bears need to make some kind of change to give the run game a boost. If the Bears can start running the game effectively, everything else will open up for Williams and the rest of the offense. Giving Herbert and Johnson more looks could be a start.

Related: Bears faced with the same lingering issues that doomed the offense against the Texans on Sunday Night Football