How will the Bears Running Back Position Shake Out?

Head coach John Fox likes to have a committee of running backs. Currently, the Chicago Bears have five running backs in the group, but more than likely only 4 will make the 53-man roster and only 2 of those backs will get the lion’s share of the workload. Let’s take a look at who is most likely to make the roster and which guys are going to carry the rock for our Chicago Bears.

All of Bears nation should definitely care about this 5th round running back (Howard) because the Hoosier is a 6’1, 230 lbs BEAST!

Let’s start with the obvious odd man out- Senorise Perry. He is a great guy and a solid special teams player, but that’s not going to be enough for him to make the 53-man roster. Perry missed all of last season with an injury and didn’t have much offensive action in previous seasons. In fact, in his career as a Bear he only has one reception and no rushing attempts. With the presence of Omar Bolden, Deonte Thompson, and an array of rookies, the value Perry has as a special teams player is severely diminished. Without his value in the third phase, it doesn’t look great for his future in navy and orange.

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Last year when Matt Forte, the all-purpose running back of legend, got injured, Ka’Deem Carey was rotated into the line-up as a change of pace power back. He played this role with decent efficacy, but still only ended up with 159 rushing yards and 19 yards receiving. Although he did seem to run well between the tackles it might be a bit of a stretch to use a guy who is 5’10, 210 lbs as a power running back, especially when there’s a rookie monster waiting in the wings but more on him later. Carey also has the unfavorable attribute of being a part of the final draft class from the old GM/ head coach regime. We all know how much Ryan Pace and Fox love the guys they bring in over those who came before them, so this can’t help Carey’s chances. Side Note: when the season starts we are projecting that only 7 of the 22 starters on offense and defense will be from the pre Pace/ Fox era (Jay Cutler, Alshon Jeffrey, Charles Leno Jr, Kyle Long, Zach Miller, Lamarr Houston, & Kyle Fuller).

It seems like the word out of camp is that the coaching staff likes Jacquizz Rodgers. I keep hearing that he has a special skill set that makes him valuable to the team. People keep raving about his 3rd down back skills and that he is an amazing pass-blocker and receiver out of the backfield. That’s great, but it’s not going to be nearly enough for him to carve out an important role among the running back committee. In his best year as a professional Rodgers had a combined 764 yards rushing & receiving (R&R). Langford in his first year as a pro already topped that mark with 816 yards R&R. So whatever the rumors of Rodgers having special value, I’m not buying it.

Think back to last season, how excited did you get last year every time Langford touched the ball? He just had that electric feeling about him, an explosiveness that made him dangerous on every play. Langford should improve in his second year in the NFL with an expanded role in an offense that he has a better grasp of. Before Forte was hurt last season, Langford had very few touches early in the year. In fact, through the first eight weeks of the 2015 season he only had 29 total touches for 111 yards R&R. That means that over the last eight weeks of the season Langford did the bulk of his work with 705 yards R&R. While that still might not be good enough to make us all dance in the street, let’s remember that he also had to split his carries when Forte returned to the line-up in week 12. You give this man a full season of 20 touches per game and he will make 1,000 yards R&R without breaking a sweat.

Let’s talk about Jordan Howard. Now you might be thinking to yourself: “Jordan Howard? Really? The 5th round draft pick out of Indiana? Who cares about 5th round draft picks? Who cares about running backs from Indiana?” All of Bears nation should definitely care about this 5th round running back because the Hoosier is a 6’1, 230 lbs BEAST! Fox and Pace were looking for a power back and they found him running all over the 2015 Michigan Wolverines top 5 defense- I mean ALL OVER the wolverines, to the tune of 238 yards rushing with 2 touchdown’s and an added receiving TD just for kicks. But that’s one game, how much does that matter? Well maybe it will help if I throw in 174 yards rushing against Iowa, 203 yards rushing against Western Kentucky, or 168 yards rushing against Wake Forest, or the fact that he has over 1,300 yards R&R in only 8 games. It’s true, that most of the teams Howard played against aren’t the top of the NCAA elite outside of Michigan and Iowa, but it’s also important to remember that outside of one lone stud tackle the offensive line of Indiana was definitely not elite either. Yet somehow, Jordan Howard still managed to put up big numbers. Do yourself a favor and take a look at some highlights of how he put those numbers up you will see a big body with quick feet that runs with bad intentions. Howard is the power back Chicago needed last year and he’s the power back that Carey isn’t able to be. With a committee featuring Langford and Howard the Bears may have finally found the thunder and lightning running back combination that gives defenses headaches, and keeps Jay Cutler’s jersey clean.