The Chicago Bears' unimpressive running attack was a major concern and talking point earlier in the season. The ground game failed to get much going, and it seemed like running back D'Andre Swift could either be on his way out or benched in favor of a potential trade target.
Head coach Ben Johnson always preached patience with his running backs, claiming that it was a collective effort and it would take time to get everybody on the same page. He might be right, but with the trade deadline zooming in, Week 8 might make or break their plans of trading for a running back.
Bears Need to Run The Ball Against Baltimore
The Bears' running game has looked much better in the past couple of weeks, especially after putting up a whopping 222 rushing yards in the win over the New Orleans Saints. Swift rushed the ball 19 times for 124 yards and a touchdown while rookie RB Kyle Monangai had his best outing of the year, posting a 13-81-1 stat line.
Now, the Bears will travel to Baltimore to face a Ravens team that has struggled to stop the run all year long. The Ravens are giving up 134.3 rushing yards per game, the sixth-most in the league, so they should be pretty vulnerable on the ground.
As such, a third consecutive strong game for the running backs could be more than enough to convince Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles that they won't need to make a trade. They can then save those assets and pivot to address other needs on the roster.
On the flip side, failing to dominate on the ground might make them feel like what happened in the past couple of games was just a fluke. As such, the Bears could reignite their rumored interest in bolstering the running backs corps.
As things stand now, stars like Breece Hall, De'Von Achane, and Alvin Kamara could be up for grabs at the trade deadline. There could also be lesser options available, like Dameon Pierce or Jaylen Wright, but those are unlikely to interest the Bears.
Johnson was the architect behind the Detroit Lions' elite rushing attack. And while he won't have Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery at his disposal, adding another strong running back to complement Swift as a one-two punch could work wonders for this team. At the same time, a strong performance from Monangai vs. the Ravens might be enough to close the door on a new face being added.
Needless to say, how the Bears' ground game performs against the Ravens will likely dictate their trade deadline plans, regardless of which direction.