Why Raheem Mostert Wouldn't Fit Back in with Bears
The San Francisco 49ers seem at odds with running back Raheem Mostert, who is making trade demands.
The former Bears running back might seem an ideal fit to return to the team which cut him before he signed on with San Francisco.
Don't count on it, and only part of this has to do with the fact the Bears are unlikely to be trading away any draft picks soon.
This is reason enough for them.
They've just gone through two years without first-round picks and lost their 2020 first-round pick for Khalil Mack. They traded away their fourth-round pick already in 2021 for the pick they used to select edge rusher Trevis Gipson in Round 5 of April's draft.
Giving away a Day 3 pick or even Day 2 for a 28-year-old running back who already came through Chicago once is unlikely.
There is a need for the Bears at running back, but it's only for a backup. They signed two undrafted free agents to compete with Ryan Nall for this position, Artavis Pierce and Napoleon Maxwell.
Younger backs mean less pay. And the Bears would want to bring in a back who is demanding he get paid like a No. 1 back? He just got a three-year, $8 1/2 million deal last season anyway.
Oh, I'm sure the Bears have to be frothing at the mouth for a chance to get a backup back making salary demands, especially after he has been cut by them, by the Browns, the Ravens, the Eagles and the Dolphins. Right?
They already have a No. 1 back in David Montgomery. They have cash committed to many veterans. They're not likely to trade for a running back who is making cash demands the second he walks in the building. Not many teams are, especially if it's a back who is already 28 years old and had only 42 rushing attempts in his first four seasons before making it to the Super Bowl.
The 49ers could find about any downhill style of back and plug him into that system and get yardage because of their blocking execution and the way they use the backs in rotation.
Mostert still only has 178 rushing attempts for a five-year career. That's 64 less than David Montgomery had in one season. He's no more a proven commodity than the average reserve back on any team.
The main reason the Bears wouldn't want Mostert back in Chicago is things have changed a good deal since he was asked to leave Halas Hall.
The Bears were running outside zone blocking schemes when Mostert was in Chicago behind Jordan Howard and also Jeremy Langford.
After Mostert left, Matt Nagy came in and brought an attack more slanted toward RPO plays utilizing inside zone blocking.
It's much more difficult to run the outside zone for consistent yardage, but it can produce more big plays. Backs can get out in the open off the edge and run 10 or 20 yards sometimes.
It looked like there were no defenders outside trying to stop Mostert last year in the playoffs and Super Bowl. Mostert could be more of a downhill runner and it fit him well.
The inside zone requires a different type of back, someone who can make tacklers miss in traffic or power through weak-armed attacks. A shifty back is more necessary. Being able to keep eyes downfield and read in the RPO where the inside zone holes are developing is critical.
It's for this reason the Bears drafted Montgomery and traded away Howard.
Mostert does not fit this style of play at all. He would fit the Packers' offense or the Tennessee Titans' offense Derrick Henry is running in, or the one he's in, but not the Bears or the Kansas City Chiefs or the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles could have kept Howard around but knew he wasn't an ideal fit for running behind their blocking scheme, so he's gone to Miami.
Maybe you can go home again or maybe you can't go home again, but in Chicago Mostert would find a completely different situation than the one he flourished in with the 49ers, or even the one he was trying to learn in under John Fox and Dowell Loggains.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
