The short list of candidates includes former Detroit Lion Kevin Jones, former Seattle Seahawk Shaun Alexander, former Denver Bronco Travis Henry, former Houston Texan Ron Dayne, and current Oakland Raider LaMont Jordan.  The Bears organization hasn’t given us any indication they are on the market for a new running back.  The hype is the result of Kevin Jones expressing his desire to suit up for the Bears so he can get back on the field.  Jones has been working out for several NFL teams to show them he has recovered from his torn ACL but no one is biting.  Even when he was healthy, he showed some flashes of talent but could never stay consistent on the field.  It appears to be a replacement of Benson in terms of running ability to could be a mistake for the Bears.  Jones has been in the league four years and the Bears have had plenty of time to scout him as a Lions running back to decide if they like his style.

I don’t even know where to begin with the rest of the candidates.  Shaun Alexander was over-hyped as an MVP and the Bears should avoid his fall to obscurity.  Travis Henry has more than enough legal problems to keep the Bears from even entertaining him for a workout.  Ron Dayne showed some life in Houston but I don’t see how he would fit into an offense built to utilize speed.  If the Bears did bring in Dayne he could fill a void needed for a bone crushing goal line back, so there is an outside possibility. 

LaMont Jordan is currently under contract with the Raiders but they are looking to get rid of him and are afraid he will sign with the Broncos or Kansas City Chiefs if released.  Jordan is due $4.7 million this season and $5 million next season so any trade talks would scare off a Bears organization looking to save up salary cap room.  I’m also very concerned about the Warren Sapp interview, highlighted in the Raiders blog, JustBlogBaby, and can be seen here: Sapps got no love

I will be the first to admit that Sapp runs his mouth, but he’s also a veteran defensive tackle that lasted many years in the league and knows a good running back from a bad one.  He commented that Jordan is one of the softest running backs he has ever seen.  Coupled with scouting reports that Jordan does not work hard in practice and has been asked by coach Lane Kiffin to stay away from practice, I doubt he’s in very good football shape.

Put it all together and it appears that the Bears should avoid the running back market like the plague.  The whole crop carries too much baggage that counter acts the Bears releasing of Benson.  The only two I would consider are Kevin Jones and Ron Dayne and both are inconsistent runners that failed to meet expectations.  Sounds exactly like the guy that just left town.  If the Bears were eager to grab either back the organization would buzzing about the possibility, but as for now they are silent.

The current third string running back is Garrett Wolfe, drafted two years ago with a lot of promise as the 4th player in division 1-A history to rush for over 1,500 yards for three straight seasons.  He has been compared to Warrick Dunn as a small, speedy back that is hard to tackle in the open field.  The Bears designed a package of plays just for him, but he was never able to showcase much of his ability on the field.  Benson and Adrian Peterson were never able to establish a solid running game to incorporate Wolfe into the mix.  As a result, his position on the roster was shaky with the drafting of Matt Forte and could be in doubt if the Bears invite a new running back to training camp.  For now his job appears to be fairly secure. 

The Bears made the surprising move of re-signing Lance Briggs, but let Bernard Berrian go to Minnesota and Muhsin Muhammed go to Carolina.  Brendon Ayanbadejo is now a Baltimore Raven, and reports indicate that several teams are asking about Rashied Davis.  Fred Miller and Ruben Brown are both gone and John Gilmore is a Tampa Bay Buc.  The Bears replaced the wide receiver vacancy with veteran Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd. 

That leaves a gapping void at right tackle, right guard, running back, safety, and a long-term need to upgrade at wide receiver and quarterback.  Whew, that’s all?  There is little doubt the Bears are going to make a priority of drafting one of the talented offensive tackles available in this years draft.  As much as the Bears need help shoring up safety, there isn’t much help in free agency or the draft for improvement.  You really never know what Jerry Angelo will do about the quarterback situation so that remains to be seen. 

The remaining priorities are right guard and running, with a need for a long-term solution at wide receiver.  When I say a long term solution I mean that the Bears have players for the next couple years, so they should look into developing a young receiver that could make a huge impact.  The guard and running back positions require forcing a free agent or rookie to make an immediate impact. 

I’m still not done considering the Bears could sign a free agent running back, based solely on the fact that Jerry Angelo has shown no ability to weight talent at the position when drafting.  They are better off taking an established running back from another team that can get to work, much the same way Thomas Jones made such a big impact.  I was disappointed to see his brother, Julius Jones, get signed by the Seahawks for a 4 year deal.  I figured if the Bears didn’t grab Michael Turner, who signed a big deal witht he Falcons, the Bears could grab Jones.  Neither happened and I’m becoming increasingly concerned abou the Bears running game.

Marion Barber is a restricted free agent in Dallas, but the cost to tear him away could be too big for a team that has been trying to pinch salary cap pennies.  Michael Pittman is available out of Tampa Bay but his best years are far behind him.  Ron Dayne is available out of Houston and if I ever hear his name mentioned again I may puke in my mouth.  There were reports the Bears were interested in Titan running back Chris Brown, but just as quickly he signed with Houston.  You know what’s after that?  Not a damn thing. 

The running back situation came and went for the Bears, with no attempt to grab one of the impact players.  Signing any of the players still on the market would only cause more trouble and create a bigger distraction of the Bears running game.  As a result, drafting a running back suddenly becomes a big priority.  The idea itself is scary given our recent track record of drafting running backs.  The Bears should just go with the old proven method of drafting the best player availabe at your pick.  For the first pick, it will most likely be offensive tackle.  For the remaining three picks in the first three rounds, the Bears should grab any running back, wide receiver, or guard that has shown signs of talent and th eability to make an impact. 

Any attempts by Jerry Angelo to survey the talent pool will only result in another disaster pick.  The scary part is in order the win, the Bears are relying on this to be one of the most successful drafts in franchise history.  Just the idea that the Bears are going to use as many as three starting spots on an already struggling offense with rookies could be ugly.  The next few months will make or break Jerry Angelo’s future with the Bears organization, let’s hope he can get it right this time.