Chicago Bears: Running back weakest position on the roster

The Chicago Bears revamped the running back room this offseason. However, is this the weakest position on the roster right now?

This offseason, Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Pace opted to revamp the Bears running back room. The reasoning behind doing so? Pace was looking to figure out a way to find players who would be ideal fits inside Matt Nagy’s system.

The Bears did just that. They shipped out Jordan Howard, a North-South runner and replaced him with veteran Mike Davis, rookie David Montgomery, and a speedster in rookie Kerrith Whyte. The only notable player from this group that was on the 53-man roster in 2018 is Tarik Cohen. All this turnover has led an important question being asked: Is running back the weakest position on the Bears roster?

A year ago, it could be argued that running back was the strongest position the Bears had on offense. As a positional group, it was proven and deemed to be the one thing that could end up keeping the 2018 Bears offense afloat while Mitchell Trubisky developed.

The reality of the running back position for the Bears in 2019 is that there is no knowing what to expect. We can make predictions about who will start, who’ll have the best stats, and who’s going to breakout. However, this is a group that will have a lot of proving to do as the season goes on.

At this point in the offseason, with OTA’s going on, it’s hard to tell what the state of the position really is. We know that Cohen will end up being placed all over the field, while Montgomery and Davis will split time in the backfield. Then there’s Whyte, who’s arrow continues to point up, but will likely end up being a return man on special teams in 2019 before becoming a regular part of the offense in 2020.

What also makes the running back group the weakest position on the Bears roster is the fact that there are a few questions that exist. How will Nagy handle what is expected to a three-headed monster? If Montgomery surpasses expectations, then will Nagy abandon the running back by committee approach? The Bears are going to carry three running backs, but could a fourth one be on the 53-man roster too?

The Bears will need to answer all these questions as they begin to figure out the state of the running back room. While this group will have high expectations, one of the main things that it will be asked to do is take the pressure off of Mitchell Trubisky.

The reality of other positions on the Bears roster is that there is a high level of continuity and carryover that exists, however, this is not the case for the Bears running back room. As the 2019 season approaches, it’s safe to say that as of right now, running back is perhaps the position on the roster that has the most potential but also the weakest on paper.