The Bears nabbed Ryan Nall as one of their UDFAs and he is arguably in the best position to make the team. We examine the running back’s chances.
The Chicago Bears have their workhorse in the backfield in the person of Jordan Howard but after that, their running back situation is murky. Yes, Tarik Cohen is there, but Matt Nagy has all sorts of plans for him, so don’t expect Cohen to just line up in the backfield when Howard is on the bench. You can almost put Cohen aside, he won’t be used as a traditional running back. The Bears have Benny Cunningham to back up Howard, but they also brought in UDFA Ryan Nall. Nall is an intriguing prospect that could be utilized in multiple roles subbing in the offensive backfield. What can Bears fan expect from Nall? Let’s dig deeper.
Best-Case Scenario
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Nall versatility is on display in training camp and in the preseason. Nall shows that his running style is very similar to Howard’s and is a perfect backup for him. He also shows that he can be utilized in the passing game which Matt Nagy loves. On top of that, Nall proves to be a better fullback than Michael Burton. Nall makes the 53-man roster and the Bears plan to utilize him as a fullback and spelling Howard. His ability as both a tailback and fullback make both Cunningham and Burton expendable. Nall establishes himself as a solid sub in the offense, rushes for a couple hundred yards on the season and finds the end zone as well.
Worst-Case Scenario
Nall shows that he’s too slow and doesn’t have the acceleration needed to hit the hole at the NFL level. He proves he’s not a tailback and the Bears focus him at fullback. Despite hope that he can beat out Burton, he doesn’t have the strength to play fullback either and continually keeps his pads too high to leverage blocks. He doesn’t make the 53-man roster and the Bears can’t justify keeping a fullback on the practice squad. Nall is released outright.
Odds Are
Nall proves he has some potential as a tailback but isn’t at the level of Benny Cunningham. Nall also shows enough potential at fullback and beats out Michael Burton. He makes the 53 as the team’s lone fullback but also as the RB3 behind Howard and Cunningham. Nall is cut and brought back a couple of times during the season when the Bears make roster moves but he shows enough to be considered a decent first-year contributor behind Howard and Cunningham. The Bears bring Nall back in 2019 and expect him to make the roster, but not in much more of a capacity than he served in 2018.