How Will Chicago Bears Replace Running Back Matt Forte?
The Chicago Bears will be looking to replace a legend in 2016 as running back Matt Forte has moved on to the New York Jets in free agency. He was a fantastic player in Chicago for many years, but the Bears are in a nice place to at least partially replace his production.
Through many ugly seasons, running back Matt Forte was the only player on the Chicago Bears’ offense who would produce on a high level. As an elite-level runner and arguably the best receiving back in the NFL, Forte became the focal point of the Bears’ offense immediately as a rookie in 2008, and that had not changed all the up until last season.
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After the Bears showed little interest in bringing him back, Forte moved on this off season, signing a free agent contract with the New York Jets. At 30-years-old, Forte may not be as great as he once was, but losing him creates a massive hole in the Bears’ offense. Someone is going to have to pick up the slack left by Forte.
For the Bears, the production is likely to be picked up by a variety of players. With his fantastic combination of skills as a natural runner and receiver, replacing Forte with one player will be impossible.
It all starts with Jeremy Langford, who started two games in Forte’s absence last season. Langford was a fourth-round pick by the Bears in 2015, and he put up some solid numbers in relatively limited opportunity as a rookie. Langford showed some receiving skills, finishing the season with 22 receptions for 279 yards and a touchdown.
He is a quick and elusive back who can make some plays in the open field, but Langford did not perform especially well in the running game as a rookie. Langford’s 537 rushing yards on 148 carries (3.6 yards per carry average) leaves plenty to be desired. Langford has the physical tools to succeed, but seems to struggle with ball carrier vision.
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He does not find the proper hole often enough, and while his six rushing touchdowns are impressive, that kind of production can be fluky. Langford will enter training camp as the Bears’ starting running back, and will have ample opportunity to win the position, but make no mistake about it, he is not Forte.
In a perfect world, Langford’s ability as a receiver coupled with a powerful back who can pick up the yardage on the ground would be how the Bears replace the production of Forte. Entering the 2016 NFL Draft, Ka’Deem Carey appeared to be the one who would pair with Langford to replace Forte at RB.
Carey is a powerful back who showed some nice upside late last season, but he was drafted by the old Bears’ front office and coaching staff, and has not been consistently productive. Landing Jordan Howard in the fifth-round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears found a guy who fits perfectly as a running mate to Langford.
Howard is a big and powerful back who can pick up the tough yardage on the outside. He is not much of a receiver out of the backfield, but he does have the natural speed and elusiveness to make big plays in open space. Howard is a tough runner who is always picking up extra yardage after contact.
He was an extremely productive player in the Big Ten last season, and should become a valuable weapon in the Bears’ offense. Howard was an absolute steal for the Bears in the fifth-round, and considering he was taken by the new Bears’ regime, I fully expect him to be the power compliment to Langford over Carey.
Jacquizz Rogers will likely take some sort of limited third-down role for the Bears, but I see Howard and Langford as the two primary players who will replace Forte at the running back position in Chicago. However, they will likely need help from the other positions to fully replace the production left by Forte.
Slot receivers Eddie Royal and upcoming rookie Daniel Braverman are likely to get a lot of play in the short passing game. Forte has been Jay Cutler‘s security blanket in the flat for many years. While Langford will help fill that void, he is not a major play-maker in the passing game like Forte.
The loss of Forte will open up more opportunity in the short passing game for the Bears’ slot receivers. Royal will take advantage of that if he can stay healthy, but Braverman is a personal favorite of mine who will make an impact in the Bears’ passing game as well.
Replacing Forte is not going to be easy. He is the second-leading rusher in the long and storied history of the franchise. He also has the second-most receptions of any player in franchise history and the sixth-most receiving yards.
Forte was a fantastic player for the Bears for many years, but the team felt that his better days are behind him. Replacing a legend of this caliber is never easy, but the Bears are in a fantastic position to do it with a group of players.
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Between Langford, Howard, Royal, Braverman and increased roles on the outside for Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White, the Bears should be able to get by just fine without Forte. He was the center-point of the Bears’ offense for many years, but now they will look to spread the wealth more than ever before.