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Projecting the Chicago Bears Starting 11: Offense

By Derek Hanfland

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Matt Forte, RB

As was the case with the starting QB selection, there is no surprise here.  Matt Forte is about as steady as they come in the NFL and he’s been a reliable all-purpose back in Chicago for many years.  He does it all and he does it all pretty well — running, pass-catching, blocking.  Barring injury he’ll be the featured back throughout the year.

Forte has been killing opposing defenses the last two years especially thru the air, having pulled down 176 catches (102 in 2014) for over 1,400 yards in 2013 & 2014 combined.  That was in the Marc Trestman/Aaron Kromer offensive system, however, so it seems likely that his reception numbers will take a dip in 2015.

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Less can be more and if the burden of carrying such a huge portion of the offensive load can be removed from Forte’s shoulders, the Bears can benefit from having a fresher and thus more explosive running back when they turn and hand him the ball.  Or the opposite could happen and an offense experiencing first-year hiccups under new OC Adam Gase could feature frequent dump-offs to Forte if Cutler doesn’t like what he sees down the field.  The former is the preferred outcome but the latter is something Forte has shown he can handle, if it comes to that.

While Forte is the unquestioned starter, new Head Coach John Fox prefers a running back by committee approach and the expectation is that guys named Langford or Rodgers or Carey (or even the newly added Daniel Thomas) will see the field with some frequency.  Provided they perform when called upon, these co-stars in the run game can help sustain Forte’s health throughout the year.  If the Bears are playing meaningful football in December, this approach could pay major dividends.

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