Chicago Bears: Analyzing free agency moves made so far

Bears sign Mike Davis

The prevailing thought on the Chicago Bears was that they needed a change at the running back position. Jordan Howard is a very good running back, but he is more of a bruiser without a second gear and without the ability to be a threat in the passing game.

At the NFL Combine, Pace spoke about what he’s looking for in a running back, per the Chicago Tribune:

"In this offense, you want to be able to have a guy that has really good vision that can make guys miss. And at the same time, there’s that balance of being a hybrid, being able to make things happen in the pass game, too, but yet to where you’re not one-dimensional. That’s not easy."

So Pace and the Chicago Bears went out and signed a running back. They signed Mike Davis to a two-year, $6 million ($7 million with incentives) deal.

Davis isn’t a big signing, but it is a good one. No, he won’t replace Howard as the No. 1 running back. In 35 career games, he has just nine starts. What he does, though, is play well in a rotation. He was in a rotation with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018 and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. He rushed for 514 yards and four touchdowns.

More importantly, he caught 34 passes for 214 yards (6.2 yards per catch) and a touchdown. He did that despite playing behind Chris Carson, who had a breakout season, and Rashaad Penny, Seattle’s first-round pick in 2018.

Davis has the ability to run over defenders as well as make moves to get away from them. He can also hit another gear that helps him pull away.

As I mentioned, the Bears may decide to go after another free agent running back, but with this move, I think they go through the draft instead. They’ll then have whoever they pick and Davis split time with Tarik Cohen. That could give the Chicago Bears offense a very good running game.