After the Chicago Bears’ 2018 season came to a disruptive halt in the playoffs, there was a lot of speculation of what the franchise was going to do to improve their already strong roster for 2019. The biggest assumption was that general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy were going to roll the dice and sign running back Kareem Hunt.
Well, that possibility has officially gone out of the window. It has been reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Hunt has signed with the Cleveland Browns.
Browns signed Kareem Hunt.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 11, 2019
What does this mean? Well, it means that Bears running back Jordan Howard now has a better chance of finishing out his rookie contract with Chicago in 2019. Many speculated that Howard would be traded during the 2019 offseason, and be replaced by Hunt, who is currently on the Commissioner’s Exempt List for shoving and kicking a woman in February of 2018.
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Hunt, who made the Pro Bowl in 2017, played under Nagy when he was the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. Hunt’s familiarity with Nagy and the offensive scheme was the primary reason why he was predicted to supplant Howard as the No. 1 running back for next season.
Despite not being used as much as he has been in his first two seasons with the Bears, Howard still managed to finish 2018 with 935 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Howard may not be the explosive back that Hunt is, however, he is still good enough to give Chicago a strong, between-the-tackles dimension in the running game.
Although a possible trade for Howard isn’t completely off the table, the chances of staying in the Windy City are looking a little bit better for the Bears’ leading rusher over the past three years.