Chicago Bears must sign one of these three running backs

Devonta Freeman

As a part of a two-headed monster in Atlanta, Devonta Freeman is arguably the best running back left in free agency. The former Florida State product recently turned 28 years old and comes with a lot of mileage. He missed most of the 2018 season, so that should assist in preserving another year from him. But at the same time, you worry that the injury will reoccur.

Last season, Freeman played and started in 14 games, rushing for 656 yards on 184 attempts. He’s a valuable asset because he can catch the ball out of the backfield as well, hauling in 59 balls for 410 yards a year ago.

If the Bears were to sign Freeman, Montgomery would remain the starter with the former now shifting to a backup capacity. I envision him becoming a third-down back in mid-to-short yards to pick up first down. While the sample size is limited to 68 attempts, Freeman has a 5.0 yards-per-attempt and 9.1 yards-per-reception on third downs, the highest of any downs in his career.

Money will be the primary concern in acquiring him, as he’s likely to garner a two-year deal from a club at approximately $2M AAV. It doesn’t sound like much, but the Chicago Bears are already up against the salary cap. They’d have to get creative to restructure players’ contracts or trade away assets to free up capital.