The Bears have been making moves this offseason; some you could’ve seen coming, and some wouldn’t have thought of. A couple of actions that stood out as surprising would have to go to the new running back core. The Bears decided to cut ties with David Montgomery and went with Khalil Herbert, who flashes high potential. Herbert had 731 yards rushing compared to Montgomerys 801. However, Herbert had 80 fewer rushing attempts than Montgomery, making him a higher-efficiency running back. Herbert will likely be the starting running back, but he isn’t the only part of the monsters the Bears have in their backfield.
Near the beginning of free agency, the Bears decided to draft the Carolina Panthers’ leading rusher, D’Onta Foreman. Foreman rushed for 914 yards, just short of 1,000 in eight starts. After Christian McCaffery was traded, Foreman punished opposing teams, putting the Carolina run attack on his back. Foreman will be lethal in the Bears’ run game; the 1-2 punch between him and Herbert will scare defensive coordinators.
A lowkey signing, Travis Homer bottoms out the running back depth chart as the third-stringer. Homer hadn’t made any big splashes when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. He has remained on their team since 2019, so he should be able to provide a veteran presence in the running back room and some talent to special teams.
Rounding out the running core, you can’t forget about Justin Fields. Although many discredit his ability as a passer, they can’t negate his ability as a runner. Fields rushed for 1,143 yards, along with eight rushing touchdowns. Although many are hoping for Fields to leap in his passing ability, the Bears should, and likely will, use Fields in some designed runs. Fields proved he was the best-rushing quarterback in the league by a wide margin. While he might not reach that same level due to positive progress in his passing game, he will always remain a threat with his legs in any play the Bears run.
