Dec 21, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Lions running back George Winn (38) and Chicago Bears running back Montell Owens (24) exchange words during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears offseason is in full swing as we head toward the start of the new league year and Free Agency. As a part of our Chicago Bears Roster Review, we’re leading off by looking at Bears Free Agents. New GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox have some tough decisions to make as they reshape the Bears roster in hopes of a bounce back 2015 season.
Montell Owens, Full Back, 30
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2014 Outlook
Owens actually started the 2014 season on the Lions, but after landing on Injured Reserve in Week Four with a hamstring injury the Bears were able to sign the veteran for the final few games of 2014. The oft-injured fullback really served as nothing more than a filler for Chicago after Marshall and Briggs went down and I’d be surprised if the team made a push to sign the Bear of less than a month.
In the three games Owens played for Chicago, Bear running backs averaged 63 yards per game, falling well short of the average over the first 13 games (77 yards per game). With little and possibly a negative impact on the team it’s hard to imagine we’ll see Owens in a Bears jersey next season.
2015 Outlook
Without much to build off of from 2014, it’s hard to make much a case for the Bears resigning Montell Owens. The 30-year old back is coming off consecutive injury-riddled seasons as the former Pro Bowl fullback has become increasingly unreliable. What’s more is that it should be assumed that John Fox will implement a new system and sign personnel more conducive to his power running style. Forte may be the only secure back on the Bears’ roster entering 2015. Though Owens has had a long and successful career, he’s not the player that he once was (apparently a theme on the Bears roster at the moment), and as such the Bears will likely move on to younger and more versatile players.