More likely on 2019 Chicago Bears roster: Jordan Howard or Adrian Amos?

Which player is more likely to be on the Chicago Bears roster next season- Jordan Howard or Adrian Amos?

The Chicago Bears are a good football team. That’s something that hasn’t been able to be said in some time. And while success is always the goal for any team, in professional sports, good teams have to make sacrifices on the roster.

There are two key members of the 2018 Chicago Bears that, as of right now, appear headed to free agency: CB Bryce Callahan and S Adrian Amos. One other key member of the team, Jordan Howard, may also be headed elsewhere via trade or release.

For the purpose of this article, let’s place Callahan aside. Amos has been a key member of the Bears’ defense the last two seasons and Howard was the team’s offensive MVP in 2016 and 2017. Which one is more likely to stay and which one is more likely to go?

First let’s look at the defense. Amos has been a solid member of the secondary, however, the team has already invested in Prince Amukamara and Kyle Fuller and they also have to be confident that they know they need to pay Eddie Jackson in a couple of seasons.

Not to mention they’ve already given lucrative extensions for Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman and we all know the size of Khalil Mack’s contract.

At some point, from a budgetary standpoint, you can’t pay everyone on defense, so while Amos is a contributor to the defense, they’ve already made financial commitments to other defensive players and there may not be enough left in the cookie jar to pay Amos.

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Howard, on the other hand, is under contract and fits nicely under the cap, so he’s a lock to stay on the roster, right?

Not necessarily.

Howard is coming off the worst season of his career and it has become clear that he is not a fit for Matt Nagy’s offense. The Bears had a great season, but you don’t stay great by resting on your laurels. Ryan Pace is going to look to upgrade this team. They could use more depth on defense, and they need a better kicker, but on offense, the area to upgrade appears to be running back.

Kareem Hunt seemed like a legitimate option but he has signed with the Cleveland Browns so where does that leave the Bears? They could make a play at Le’Veon Bell, but with their finances already tight, he doesn’t make much sense.

The next best free agent running backs are Mark Ingram and Tevin Coleman. The Bears could make a play there or they could decide to go back to the draft and find a running back that is a better schematic fit with Nagy’s offense.

If the Bears select a running back, being they are Super Bowl contenders in 2019, it wouldn’t be wise to rely 100% on a rookie in the backfield, they’ll want someone he can compete with. Someone like TJ Yeldon or Corey Grant might make some sense as a veteran that could be brought in for a roster spot.

They other option of course, is to keep Howard on the roster and if the rookie running back out performs him, Howard finishes his Chicago career on the bench.

If the Bears know they are moving on from Howard after this season and would rather not feature him in the backfield in 2019, than it makes the most sense to see if you can trade him to a team that might be willing to give up a fifth round pick for him (maybe a fourth if you are lucky). That way the Bears get something before they lose Howard outright as they take the running game in another direction.

If Hunt was a viable option for Chicago, than the answer to the posed question would probably be that there is a better chance for Adrian Amos to remain on the roster, but with Hunt out and the options at running back slim, while the odds Howard remains on the team are probably less than 50-50, they are certainly better than Adrian Amos who should expect to get a solid but not spectacular contract in the free agent market and that’s probably not one the Bears are looking to match.

If their chances to return were an injury report, Adrian Amos would be listed as doubtful and Jordan Howard would be listed as questionable. Nothing is certain, but it doesn’t appear Amos will be back in Chicago this upcoming season.