Bears should give Kerrith Whyte an opportunity
After the latest injury report, the Chicago Bears may want to consider calling up Whyte to the roster.
It’s safe to say this season hasn’t gone as expected for the Chicago Bears. Specifically, their offense has struggled to put points on the board. However, the problems run deeper than Mitchell Trubisky‘s struggles. They extend to the running game as well.
So far this season, the Bears have struggled running the football, which at times, has made the offense one-dimensional. Part of the problem has been a lack of commitment to the run on the part of the head coach.
Despite moving up in the draft to select David Montgomery, he has been seldom used this year. After only running the ball a total of seven times (a franchise low) against the New Orleans Saints, it seemed as though Matt Nagy might have recommitted himself to the run — at least by his standards.
Since that time, Montgomery has been featured more, as offseason free agent singing Mike Davis was released. That left only Montgomery and Tarik Cohen as backfield options until the Bears called up Ryan Nall from the practice squad. Nall is a versatile back who can play on special teams, as well as lineup as a fullback if necessary. While versatile, he’s not what you’d consider a “featured back.”
Consequently, the Bears are going to have to cobble together a running attack this Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams should Montgomery miss the game due to his injured ankle, as reported on Thursday.
His status for Sunday is up in the air at the moment, but should he miss the contest, the Bears should consider elevating rookie Kerrith Whyte from the practice squad.
Drafted in the seventh round, Whyte is also versatile like Nall as he can contribute on special teams — primarily as a kickoff and punt returner. In fact, he was one of the most dominant returners in college while at Florida Atlantic University, and so he could be used in the punt return game to keep Cohen fresh should his carries increase.
Next. It's time to send Trey Burton to IR. dark
However, Whyte possesses exceptional speed and is difficult to bring down at 204 pounds. He could definitely provide a spark in the Bears backfield and only needs a crease to sneak through and it’s off to the races.
On an offense struggling to find an identity — particularly in the run game — why not bring Whyte up to see if he can hit a big play or two. Who knows — they may catch lightning in a bottle.