Chicago Bears NFL Draft: 3 running backs to add for insurance
By Ryan Heckman
This offseason, the Chicago Bears have gone through more of a facelift than most teams, and it has been for the betterment of the organization.
General manager Ryan Poles laid the foundation for this offseason last year when he started to strip the roster down to its bones, giving the team a plethora of cap space to work with during free agency 2023. Not only that, but he did his best to add draft capital for this year and next year through multiple trades.
One position that has been overhauled in a big way is at running back. The Bears have Khalil Herbert as the presumed starter going into this coming season, but behind him now are a couple of newcomers.
D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer were signed to be a complimentary back and a special teams contributor, respectively. Foreman will get a good amount of carries, while Homer should be more of a special teams ace and third down, pass-blocking specialist. With David Montgomery having left for a division rival, the Bears reloaded. But, they still shouldn’t consider themselves set at the position.
The Chicago Bears should not shy away from selecting a running back in the 2023 NFL Draft
As good as Foreman has been in reviving his career, he’s only on a 1-year deal. That gives him absolutely zero security going forward. The Bears may have just signed him as a placeholder for 2023, because, let’s be honest, the running back position isn’t one that’s heavily invested in anymore.
If the Bears have the chance to draft another back at the right spot, then they should do it. Now, that’s not to say the team should go out of their way to draft a running back early on. No, it shouldn’t be until Day 3, ideally.
But, with Foreman being on a 1-year deal and Homer being very specific in what he can do, the Bears should think about one more back as insurance, therefore planning to keep four on the roster during the regular season.
The following three running back prospects could be found later in the draft, and each one would bring their own skillset which would help this offense in one way or another.