Why on Earth Would Bears Want Josh Jacobs?

It took only a few minutes after the deadline for players with franchise tags to sign deals before fantasyland's door swung open.

We're not talking here about fantasy football, but that's exactly what this is—real and pure fantasy. The web was full of tweets talking about the Bears needing Josh Jacobs.

CBS Sports had jumped right into the deep end earlier, calling the Bears the second most likely team for the services of Jacobs, the rushing champion.

There is no source for this or anyone telling them this. It's simply writer Bryan DeArdo throwing it out there based on the misguided notion the Bears are in the market for running backs to help Justin Fields.

"Along with giving him an elite running back, the addition of Jacobs would take some of the burden off of Fields to make plays with his feet," DeArdo wrote.

He cited two Fields games missed due to his running as a reason he needs someone to take carries away.

Why Does Top Rushing Team Need a Back?

Fields does need help, but not in the running game.

In case anyone forgot, the Bears led the NFL in rushing last season without Josh Jacobs or even fellow jilted franchsie player Saquon Barkley.

They lost David Montgomery but have picked up more depth and some runners with potential.

They don't need Josh Jacobs to help Fields as a runner. They need Fields to help the offense as a passer to reduce the amount of carries he has.

If the Bears weren’t interested in Dalvin Cook why the hell would they be interested in Josh Jacobs???🤡 https://t.co/xGjHub4rtm
— Walter Wicks IV. (@WaltWicksIV) July 14, 2023

That's why they brought in DJ Moore in a trade, in case anyone hadn't heard.

Spending a load of cash on a running back is about the last thing the Bears need when they have no one to rush the passer off the edge. They are basing their plans for a pass rush this year on the idea they'll come from the inside at QBs, even though they really don't have the dominant inside rusher to do this, either. Two rookies, Justin Jones and Andrew Billings comprise their inside rush, unless you count defensive ends DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green moving inside in pass rush situations. That's another Matt Eberflus plan.

The $30 million plus the Bears have available under the cap are there to get some edge rush help, maybe add some depth if they desire, but more than anything else it's there to get contract extensions to Darnell Mooney, Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson, who deserve it. They might even give one to Chase Claypool if he deserves it, but that's yet to be determined.

So they should throw a chestful of cash at a running back?

They'd be better off looking for a defensive tackle who is a proven pass rusher to help their plan for an interior rush.

None of this makes sense, anyway. In case no one noticed, running backs simply are not worth big cash. Barkley might be a special back. Saying this is true about Jacobs would require some convincing because he played three seasons and averaged a pedestrian 4.2 yards a carry before he had one good year at 4.9 yards an attempt and led the league at 1,653 yards.

Bears Want to Pass More

If the Bears were going to go out and throw cash at someone to help Fields, DeAndre Hopkins would have made more sense than paying $13 or $14 million a year and whatever draft pick compensation was required in the draft. Presumably it's a first-rounder or maybe that and more picks.

Why on earth would the Bears want to deal away first-round picks next year for a running back anyway? They could simply draft one of their own next year if they felt the need for one.

It's not a pressing need like pass rusher.

The Bears lost 10 straight games to close the season by giving up 33.1 points a game last year, not because they failed at running the football.

The advice for CBS and people who think these things is take a look around the league and consider what running backs are being paid.

The position is not valued. It's been this way for more than five years. It's too bad. It's a shame, really.

In Chicago we feel it more than most places because of the proud running back tradition with Walter Payton, Matt Forte, Gale Sayers and Neal Anderson. But it's been this way for a while. Teams would rather find their own back and pay less for someone in the third or fourth round or even later.

They save the money for the passing game or for people to stop passing games at defensive end or cornerback. The Bears have some cornerbacks now. They need end help and they won't get it next year if they're tossing first-round picks at the Raiders for Josh Jacobs, a player in his fifth season, or for Saquon Barkley, who is going into his sixth season.

It's unwise.

It's the kind of thing Ryan Pace used to do and he's not here anymore.

The Bears are devoting $9.3 million to backs this year . That's 18th in the league. So they're average.

They just drafted a back who could be a possible all-around threat in Roschon Johnson. They have skill sets of varying types in the other backs, from Khalil Herbert to D'Onta Foreman to Travis Homer. They haven't even really seen what 2022 sixth-rounder Trestan Ebner can do and he's in his second year.

A team coming off a 3-14 record, the worst in the NFL, can help itself a lot more by keeping the cash for more important uses than another running back.

How many do you need, anyway? Luke Getsy isn't running the wishbone offense.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

Add us as a preferred source on Google