How will Chicago Bears split Week 1 carries?
How will the Chicago Bears divide the carries between their three running backs?
It feels like forever ago since Jordan Howard was leading the Chicago Bears backfield. However, the fact of the matter is that we still have not seen a backfield that does not feature Howard at the helm.
The hype of David Montgomery has grown, but we have barely seen him, or Mike Davis in the preseason, and we did not see Tarik Cohen. So, while we have a feel for how the running backs might be used, we truly have no idea.
Last season, the Chicago Bears averaged 29 carries per game. If we were to assume that many rushes, how would that look on Thursday?
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The start is going to go to David Montgomery, there is no doubt about that. However, this is his first start. If he does jump out of the gate on fire, he could be in line for big work. However, while he will certainly take over half of the carries, it may not be much more.
One of the pros for Montgomery is that Tarik Cohen can get on the field at the same time as him, and Cohen can get touches in the passing game. This is also good because it means that Cohen does not cut deeply into the 29 carries to go around. Cohen averaged six carries per game last season.
Matt Nagy mentioned that he wants to see Cohen utilized more efficiently but not more. It is fair to say that Cohen will likely get five carries at near a ceiling in Week 1. Expect four or five targets as well.
That should be about what Mike Davis ends up with as well. He is going to get involved, and likely will see third-down pass protection duty. He could see some short-yardage work as well as giving the rookie a blow here and there in his debut game.
Look for closer to six or seven carries from Davis.
So, Cohen and Davis could be in for 11-13 rushing attempts. Would 15-18 carries be a reasonable first week for Montgomery? Will Mitch Trubisky cut into the potential 29 carries? How would you sort out the backs in their game?