Chicago Bears: 3 free agent running backs to address weakness

The Chicago Bears have a weakness at running back, believe it or not. Ryan Pace has to do something about it.

A weakness at running back, you say? The Chicago Bears? Why, yes, they do have a weakness at running back. It isn’t something you would typically have thought going into the offseason, but it’s the absolute truth.

First off, I am a believer in David Montgomery. He was actually very good in his rookie campaign, considering how poor the Bears run blocked. He still forced dozens upon dozens of missed tackles and I think his sophomore season will show he’s more comfortable. Montgomery should be locked and loaded as the starter, and he’s going to be a good one. Count on it.

But, behind Montgomery is a bit of a mystery. In 2019, we all saw a Tarik Cohen who was much less deliberate in running the football. Sure, the blocking was bad. But, Cohen was also not much better. In fact, he didn’t look anything like his 2018 self.

Cohen was everything but decisive in how he ran the football. Was he used improperly? Was he over-thinking things? It could be a bit of both. But, he didn’t look like the compliment and backup needed for Montgomery.

Behind Cohen is, well, a couple of guys who are fighting for jobs. Ryan Nall, along with undrafted rookie Artavis Pierce, are going to battle it out for a spot behind Cohen, or so we think.

Cordarrelle Patterson will be used more out of the back field, per Matt Nagy — and for good reason. Patterson is dynamic when he takes handoffs. But, he can’t be counted on to take too many. His best comes on special teams.

It just so happens that the Bears could solidify their back field with a veteran. A few are still unsigned, and they would make for strong additions to a roster looking to make a Super Bowl run. The fact of the matter is, if Montgomery went down, the Bears would be completely screwed — that’s simple honesty.

So, if I were Ryan Pace, I’d be giving one of these three a serious look in the near future.