6 best free agent running back options for Chicago Bears

1. Is Samaje Perine everything the Chicago Bears want?

Quietly an underlying storyline from the Bengals’ playoff run was that they were giving Samaje Perine more playing time than Joe Mixon. What was the reason? You guessed it, pass protection. Without the healthy offensive line in Cincy, they needed Perine to take some big hits in the A-gap, and he delivered.

If Perine is a good enough complement to Joe Mixon, he could be more than that with Khalil Herbert. Still, he brings the punch that Herbert lacks, both in pass protection and near the goal line. Perine is also a great pass catcher. He hauled in 38 passes for 287 yards last season.

He catches passes, pass blocks, and converts the short-yardage stuff. Okay, he lacks the big play juice, but the Chicago Bears have a running back nicknamed juice.

The Chicago Bears really should offer Montgomery a deal no bigger than Perine. It may insult Montgomery, but if all they need is someone with the skill set of Perine, and he will sign for a few million fewer then these decisions are not tough at all.