What Bears Could Do for a Cheaper Back
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The Bears have a running back quandary if they fail to reach "common ground," as GM Ryan Poles calls it, in their talks with David Montgomery.
They need to have a lead back unless they think Khalil Herbert will take over this role, and there are backs in free agency who could be options.
One of them is Giants back Saquon Barkley, but after what was reported Monday about him Bears interest could have diminished.
Fox Sports' Ralph Vacciano reported the Giants offered Barkley a contract valued at $12 million annually and it was rejected. Vacciano said Barkley wants a deal closer to the Christian McCaffrey signed in April of 2020. That was four years and $64 million.
It's not that the Bears couldn't afford to come up with that kind of cash. Barkley might be worth it, at least for a year or two. Barkley will be going into year No. 6 next year and the best backs often fizzle out by the eighth or ninth years.
Beyond that, it doesn't make sense for a team to pay that kind of money for a running back when their leading rusher was a quarterback and he was over 1,000 yards.
The main reason it doesn't make sense is the cost of getting your own back in the draft is so little by comparison then why fork out big dollars for a veteran?
It's this approach which helps drive down pay for running backs in the NFL but they keep coming in with more backs every year and the career span of the average back is so short.
Because of Montgomery, and for other reasons, it could make more sense for the Bears to look at the draft for another back. Even after adding Herbert two years ago and Trestan Ebner last year, they could look for one.
This year's group of running backs is nothing spectacular. In fact, it's a bit on the small side.
Barkley is 6-foot, 232 pounds and Montgomery 5-11, 224. Almost none of the top backs in this year's group reach what those two weigh in at and some are a bit leaner.
Here are players expected to be the top backs in this year's draft according to NFL Draft Bible, Pro Football Focus and Walterfootball.com.
The back information becomes so much better once the 40-yard dash gets run at the combine next month, just like with the receivers.
1. Bijan Robinson, Texas
At 6-foot, 220, he gained 3,410 yards in three years with 33 TDs while catching 60 passes for 805 yards with eight TDs. So he has been an all-around threat. A combination of speed and power, he's the consensus top back but with so many problems on the defensive and offensive lines it would seem unlikely the Bears would look in the first or second rounds for a running back and this is where Robinson is projected to go off the board.
2. Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
Smaller at 5-11, 200, but extremely quick with a big burst, he runs with great power for his weight and does contribute greatly in the passing game. Numerous scouting websites and TV analysts have compared him to Alvin Kamara because of his ability to run pass routes like a receiver and catch the ball. Even with that ability, this Georgia Tech transfer might leave some teams to question his experience as a runner. He never hit 1,000 yards for any season as a runner, finishing with 2,132 total rushing yards, and he topped out with no more than 151 carries in any season. He definitely hasn't been overused. He did catch 103 passes in three years for 1,212 yards, which is a good many more than most college backs.
3. Roschon Johnson, Texas
People might know more about him if he had been at another school but he still had 392 carries (2,190 yards) even with Robinson there. He's a former quarterback so some play caller somewhere might love the potential for gadget plays. At 6-foot, 219 he's virtually Robinson's size and runs with good speed and lean. Although he was a quarterback, he actually only threw one pass at that position and then switched.
4. Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
At 6-1, 220, he ran for 3,346 yards and 39 touchdowns in four years, including a partial season during the pandemic before he transfered from Michigan to UCLA. It was with the Bruins where he did most of his work with 398 runs for 2,496 yards. A 6-foot, 216-pounder, he caught 61 passes his final two years but no TDs receiving.
5. Chase Brown, Illinois
A back some people may have fallen asleep on because he was at Illinois and they just regained respectability. But he was tough to miss if you watched a game. Shifty, but a great one-cut runner with strength and speed. He could work well in a wide zone scheme like the Bears run. At 5-9, he is 211 pounds and last year rolled for a whopping 1,643 yards on 328 carries. The workload is the problem here. It's a lot of mileage, although he only had 274 carries combined the previous two years. A Western Michigan back to begin with, he transferred and only had 18 carries as a freshman for the Illini. Not much of a pass receiving threat until his final year with 27 catches then for 240 yards and three TDs. He had 18 career rushing TDs.
6. Kendre Miller, TCU
After limited use his first two years, Miller loaded up and ran for 1,399 yards on 224 carries with 17 TDs in his final year. Extreme speed. His 40-time should be interesting. A 6-foot, 206-pounder, he displayed dynamic speed and cutting ability but only caught 29 total passes in college.
7. Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
Similar size to teammate Kendall Milton, he was barely used in a career spanning four years. He had 279 carries for 1,582 yards total, including 149 carries for 829 yards last year. In his final two years he got exposure to the passing game and produced in grand style with 65 catches for 861 yards, an 11.3-yard average and four TDs. So he could fit the pro game well.
8. Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky
Built like an NFL runner at 5-11, 224, and has the short yardage speed with real power but with almost no passing game production. He ran for 3,643 yards on 592 carries over five years and was the complement to Wildcats QB Will Levis.
9. Camerun Peoples, Appalachian State
Has the size but needs to prove the speed as a 6-2, 224-pounder who didn't face the best competition in the Sun Belt. He finished with 455 runs for 2,830 yards and 31 TDs over five years but caught only 11 passes in his college career.
10. Kendall Milton, Georgia
A bit bigger back at 6-1, 220 but he was barely used by the Bulldogs with 177 carries over three years. Did show good promise with 590 yards at 6.9 a carry and eight TDs last year.
11. Zach Evans, Ole' Miss
Probably limited to a relief back or third-down role in the NFL at 195 pounds and 5-11 but he's not afraid to mix it up. He lacks receiving game experience for that, with 30 total receptions for two TDs. In three years he has 1,999 yards on 290 carries.
12. Devon Achane Texas A&M
Probably a third-down back at 5-8 1/2, 185 pounds, he started to work into the passing game this past season with 36 receptions and had 65 for his college career. Although smaller, he showed good durability in 2022 with 1,102 yards.
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