Complete Chicago Bears 2017 53-man roster predictions

Running Backs

Starter: Jordan Howard

Backups: Tarik Cohen and Benny Cunningham

Barring injury, Jordan Howard will be the Chicago Bears starting running back for all 16 games this season. You can take that to the bank right now.

Howard was incredible as a rookie last season and appears primed to continue his success. Howard shows an impressive combination of quickness, power and fantastic ball carrier vision. Make no mistake about it, Howard is one of the premier running backs in the NFL and will be the focal point of the Bears’ offense.

How the running back depth chart behind Howard shakes out is more up in the air. Rookie Tarik Cohen has been extremely impressive through two preseason games. Cohen is as quick and explosive as advertised and seems to be the favorite to take on a complementary role with Howard.

I fully expect Cohen to be the third-down back for the Bears in 2017 and I could easily see them creating some packages with both him and Howard on the field at the same time. Cohen is an extremely exciting offensive weapon who has a lot of upside in the Bears’ offense.

Benny Cunningham has also played well this preseason and should make the opening week roster. Cunningham has kick return ability, can catch passes out of the backfield, is a strong pass protector and a solid inside runner. Overall, he is an extremely versatile and talented back.

In this projection, I have left both Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey off of the Bears’ roster. Honestly, I just don’t see why they need them. Going with three running backs may leave them a little short, but with Cohen coming on strong, there is no reason to keep Langford and Carey.

If the Bears run into injuries at the position, similar players will be available on the waiver wire.