Eric Studesville Rejoins Bears As RBs Coach — And Why He’s Perfect For Ben Johnson
Losing Eric Bieniemy was tough for the Chicago Bears. He is one of the best running backs coaches in football today. His track record speaks for itself. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai furthered that reputation as they spearheaded the #3 rushing attack in the NFL this season. Unfortunately, Kansas City came calling with a promotion and a job he knows well. That left head coach Ben Johnson with the difficult task of replacing. Luckily, changes elsewhere opened up an opportunity. Eric Studesville became available, another highly decorated running backs coach, and one Johnson has worked with before.
Now they will be again. Studesville signed with the Bears on Wednesday, marking his second stint with the team. He joined them as a quality control coach in 1997 and became their wide receivers coach in 1999. However, he found his true calling in 2001 when he became a running backs coach in New York. Since then, he has held that job in various capacities across the past 25 years, often to great success. He even worked with Johnson for two years in 2017 and 2018 in Miami.
Eric Studesville is a perfect fit for what Johnson wants.
While he’s shown over the years that he can develop any type of running back, the longtime assistant seems to have a particular knack for speed guys. It started with Ronnie Hillman in Denver, who ran a 4.45, helping the Broncos win the Super Bowl in 2015. Then it was Lamar Miller and his 4.40 speed, cracking 1,000 yards in 2014. However, Studesville’s best work is probably De’Von Achane. The 3rd round pick runs a blistering 4.32 and just delivered 1,350 yards last season for the Dolphins.
If there is one thing Coach Johnson has shown, it’s that he prefers running backs with speed. He proved it with Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit. The Bears also tried trading up for Ohio State home-run hitter TreVeyon Henderson last April, but New England got to him first. Johnson will find his speed back eventually, and now he has the perfect coach in Eric Studesville to help him develop. This is a great hire for the Bears, and should keep their running game right on track as the offense keeps evolving.