The Bears should have kept Kerrith Whyte

The Chicago Bears appear to have made the wrong decision in letting Kerrith Whyte walk.

The Chicago Bears made a puzzling decision a few weeks ago when they allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to swoop in and sign Kerrith Whyte off their practice squad. The Steelers, who know how to identify talented running backs (Le’veon Bell and James Connor) set their sights on Whyte, whom they added as a result of some injuries to Connor and 2019 draft pick, Benny Snell.

Instead of finding a way to elevate Whyte to their own 53-man roster, the Bears allowed the talented, and dynamic running back to walk out the door. Instead, the Bears chose to keep Ryan Nall, whom they’ve scantly used, on the active roster.

In doing so, they allowed a 5-foot-10, 200+ pound running back with 4.4 speed and explosive return abilities to get plucked from right under their nose. Had they lost him in favor of a more skilled player, or at least one who contributed regularly to the team, it would have been a little easier of a pill to swallow.

But they didn’t. As I mentioned, Nall hasn’t played much at all, nor has a guy like Bradley Sowell, who would have also been a candidate to cut instead of Whyte.

Whyte on the other hand has made the most of his albeit limited action in three games. In his first game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he ran the ball six times for 43 yards (7.17 yards per attempt). He also had a kickoff return for 16 yards.

The following week against the Cleveland Browns, his rushing attempts dropped to three for 10 yards, but he returned three kicks for 72 yards. Finally, there was this past Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. He ran the ball five times for 41 yards (8.20 yards per attempt), caught a pass for nine yards, and returned two kicks for 24 yards.

In those three games, he’s rushed the ball a total of 14 times for 94 yards (6.7 yards per carry). Every time he touches the ball he’s a threat to bust it open for a huge gain. He’s an electric player and people are starting to take notice.

That is, of course, except the Bears who didn’t notice what they had in front of them. And what they had was not only a dynamic player but potentially a very cost-effective replacement for Cordarrelle Patterson (if he doesn’t come back next season) and/or even Tarik Cohen (if the Bears decide not to bring him back the following year).

The Bears got a steal in the seventh round when they drafted Whyte (someone we documented before the draft), but had him stolen away from an organization that knows how to utilize someone with his talents. And now Bears fans will have to watch him flourish on another team, which is as frustrating as it gets.