Chicago Bears bolster running back depth with Mike Davis

The Chicago Bears agreed to terms with a free agent running back on Monday. The former Seattle Seahawks back, Mike Davis, adds needed depth.

With the 2019 NFL free agency period set to officially begin on Wednesday, teams could start negotiating contracts as early as Monday at noon. The Chicago Bears started the day by clearing some cap space by re-working the contract of Eddie Goldman, which made some think Ryan Pace was up to something big.

While the Bears didn’t make a splash on Monday, they did agree to terms with former Seattle Seahawks running back Mike Davis. The 26-year-old has spent his four-year career split between the Seahawks and their division rival San Francisco 49ers.

Davis comes to the Bears in an offseason amidst a bunch of shuffling at the running back position — or at least, future shuffling.

Veteran Jordan Howard has been in much of the offseason’s trade talks, and while this signing doesn’t necessarily mean Davis is taking Howard’s spot, I do see the writing on the wall.

The Bears visited with several running backs at the NFL Combine this year, and I do believe they will select one in the 2019 NFL Draft. Howard is all but gone at this point, simply because the coaching staff may not see the perfect fit within Matt Nagy’s offense.

Davis, meanwhile, is more of an ideal fit. Last year, in a split back field with Chris Carson, Davis rushed for 514 yards on 112 carries while catching 34 passes for 214 yards. Davis only started two games, while remaining the primary backup to Carson. The Seahawks also mixed in rookie Rashaad Penny

Davis’ productivity was encouraging for a guy entering free agency, especially as he shared time with two other backs over the course of the season. His value lies in the fact that he adds some serious depth to the Bears, and I would assume now that Nagy is going to be using a three-headed monster in the back field — that is, once they find a third back and deal Howard.

It’s only day one of the negotiation period, and deals can’t even be signed until Wednesday. While large deals have been agreed upon already, there is plenty of work to go with dozens more free agents available. Davis is a smart addition, but Pace is not done by any means. Keep it here and we’ll update you as we learn more about the happenings over at Halas Hall.