Jeremy Langford solid complement to Matt Forte

The Chicago Bears lone bright spots on offense were Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery in their incredibly disappointing 2014 season, but Forte was downright overworked with 368 touches. His 102 receptions were indicative of the Bears offense check-down approach in the passing game in Marc Trestman’s final season, and it’s clear that they needed to add another running back even after taking Ka’Deem Carey the year prior. With the 106th overall pick, the Bears selected Michigan State product Jeremy Langford to be that complement to Forte.

I thought the Bears should have added some more help on defense, specifically cornerbacks or safeties. It’s also much more difficult to find solid defensive backs on the third day than it is to find solid running backs, which is why I wanted the Bears to go for secondary help sooner rather than later on Day 3.

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However, I don’t mind the Langford pick at all, because he’s one of the most underrated backs in the class and could have even gone in the third round if one team were more bullish on him. Of course, in a draft this deep at the running back position, he was always ticketed for a fourth-round selection.

Langford runs a 4.4 forty and can make plays, so he fits the Bears well as a No. 2 back in a change-of-pace role behind Forte, who will continue to be a monster of a workhorse for this franchise. Carey and Langford are there to relieve pressure off of him, but it’s clear to me that Langford is the better N0. 2 guy in Chicago. It will be interesting to see how many carries he can steal away from Forte, who is pretty much a lock for 300 carries until he finally breaks down.

The fact that the Bears spent a fourth-round pick on Langford instead of addressing bigger needs on defense seems to show an almost complete lack of confidence in Carey’s ability to be the answer as Forte’s handcuff or long-term replacement. Or maybe the Bears would like to hedge their bets by adding two backs to be possible long-term replacements for Forte, who will be a free agent in 2016, but that’s something to worry about later on.

A favorite sleeper for many, Jeremy Langford could be ticketed for between 50 and 100 carries at best, and we’ll see if the Chicago Bears take some of Forte’s targets in the passing game and give them to the MSU product. Langford is a pretty well-rounded rusher, but it’s clear that he prefers to take the ball to the outside, as opposed to grounding out yards on the inside. He’s significantly stronger than some give him credit for and has good hands, and I wonder if the Bears view him as Forte’s heir apparent in the backfield.

With some additional development, Langford could end up being like Forte by catching passes, running, and blocking at a relatively high level. He was definitely productive last season with over 1,500 rushing yards and looked stronger as the year went on, meaning that he could probably take on more carries than some think.

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