5 Chicago Bears storylines to follow after the bye

4. What will happen when Khalil Herbert returns

The Chicago Bears will not have Khalil Herbert for the first game, but in all likelihood, he should be able to play the final three games of the season. This will be interesting for a few reasons. First, they almost always keep three running backs, so his return could lead to the release of Trestan Ebner.

Ebner was a draft pick but lost his job to Darrynton Evans. While this is not a great sign for the rookie, he may revert to the practice squad. The other factor is how it impacts the running backs.

Evans has been able to give Montgomery some snaps off, but he has cut into the passing game role, while Herbert would cut into the early down work more.

If the Chicago Bears wanted, they could split the early down work between Montgomery and Herbert, and the late down work between Montgomery and Evans. It would be closer to a three-man committee than they have previously run. This would work fine because they all have differing specialties and would play different roles.

Still, this would impact the bottom-line production from Montgomery, who is testing free agency this offseason. The Chicago Bears would be best served seeing how Evans and Herbert can play off of each other, and a lower contract for Montgomery only gives the team a better chance to bring him back. Will they start to lower the snaps that Montgomery plays when Herbert returns? Will it be even more of a drop in snaps because of the emergence of Evans?