Chicago Bears: 5 running back targets if Bears trade Jordan Howard

Royce Freeman is the most intriguing option for the Chicago Bears for a number of reasons.  The most obvious is his connection to current Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich

Helfrich coached Freeman from 2014-2016. During that time, Freeman enjoyed a lot of success, rushing for over 4,000 total yards. His best season by far came in 2015 when he rushed for 1836 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.

More from Da Windy City

• Juan Soto appears headed to the Yankees which is not a big blow Chicago Cubs offseason
• 3 takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks shootout loss to Nashville
• Chicago Cubs in the middle of chaos that is Shohei Ohtani’s free agency
• The Chicago Cubs are on a roller coaster of emotions chasing Shohei Ohtani
• Chicago Bears quietly compiling list of head coaching candidates

One obvious benefit of this relationship is his familiarity with the offense.  Freeman would already be familiar with many of the wrinkles/concepts Helfrich intends to add to Nagy’s offensive scheme.

Another benefit is that the Bears will already have an in-depth scouting report on the University of Oregon running back.  Teams can only glean so much from watching film and fifteen-minute combine interviews.  therefore, Helfrich’s insight will be invaluable.

However, the biggest attraction of drafting a guy like Freeman is his pass catching ability.  Again, the Bears new offense will need a running back who is adept at catching short passes and turning them into big gains.  This requires them to secure the ball and quickly turn up the field.  In the video below, you can see that Freeman certainly excels in that area.

Freeman would be an ideal fit with the Bears for a number of reasons.  In addition, he is projected as a third or fourth round prospect, though a strong performance at the combine has him moving up some draft boards.