Bear Digest

Khari Blasingame Gets Two-Year Deal

Running game gets a shot in the arm for the Bears from return of blocking fullback.
Gene Chamberlain|
Khari Blasingame Gets Two-Year Deal
Khari Blasingame Gets Two-Year Deal

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Chicago Bears

The Bears apparently do plan to use a fullback this season.

It wasn't previously obvious because of how little he was used in the offense last year but maybe Khari Blasingame will even get to run the ball once or catch a pass every now and then in 2023.

The starting Bears fullback agreed to terms on a two-year contract on Wednesday according to his agency, IFA. He had a one-year deal when he came over from Tennessee in 2022.

Blasingame had only one target in the passing game and no carries last year. The 6-foot, 233-pounder was the true sledge hammer for the Bears' wide zone and teammates constantly praised his abilities both on offense and the return game.

He was instrumental in the Bears leading the NFL in rushing and setting a team record for rushing yards last year.

"It's an important piece for us," coach Matt Eberflus said last season. "I think I talked about it—maybe in training camp—about how important the fullback, to have a fullback is, because it changes you as a defensive team or coach. It changes you because it creates another gap.

"And the ability to have those guys in there, most teams play base defense to (defend) that. Most teams like to be in nickel because that's what they practice most of the time so it's an unpracticed group that you use for defensive players. Yeah, he's done great in terms of his lead blocking, his physicality. He's exactly what we stand for here at Chicago."

Blasingame was a lead blocker for Derrick Henry in Tennessee for three seasons before coming to Chicago.

Last season Blasingame played only 174 offensive plays or 18% of the plays in the 16 games he was active. But he was on the field for 215 special teams plays, or 52% of those.

Before Blasingame, the Bears had no fullback who played a role with the team dating back to Michael Burton in the 2018 season.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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