Chicago Bears: 5 Reasons why they are Super Bowl contenders
5. The running game will be a better fit in the offense
The Chicago Bears’ running game wasn’t a bad one. It ranked 11th in yards and 7th in touchdowns. However, it ranked 27th in average yards per attempt. Additionally, it wasn’t a factor in the passing game (other than Tarik Cohen).
The team felt things had to change. As a result, the Bears overhauled the running backs unit. They signed Mike Davis through free agency. He spent his career as a backup but a very good one. In the Seattle Seahawks’ rotation, he finished last season with 514 yards with four rushing touchdowns and averaged 4.6 yards per rush. He added 214 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
After signing Davis the Bears decided to make their biggest offseason move. They traded Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles for a late-round pick. While many expected this would eventually happen, when they finally pulled the trigger on the deal it hit many fans hard.
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With Howard in Philadelphia, the Bears needed a replacement. Davis was a nice pickup but I’m not sure the Bears want him to take the bulk of the carries.
The Bears picked their running back from the draft. They didn’t have a pick until the third round but they feel they have a very good one in David Montgomery. Montgomery is an athletic, quick runner with elite balance. He has the ability to hit the corner and get by the defenders but he also has the moves and cuts to keep defenders from getting a clean hit. He is amazing to watch when breaking tackles.
Montgomery is also an asset in the passing game. He uses those same moves to create space and he runs great routes and uses his hands well to make catches.
While the Bears say that Davis and Montgomery will split rushes, I think Montgomery will make it difficult for the coaches to do that. He’ll flash his escapability skills and he’ll be the main guy, with Davis an excellent backup.
The Bears also made a shrewd move late in the draft. They picked up Kerrith Whyte. Whyte wasn’t seen much when he played at Florida Atlantic University because they also had the fantastic Devin Singletary.
Whyte has his own set of abilities as well, however. He has blazing speed (he ran a 4.36 40-yard dash in his Pro Day) and explosiveness to break away and make big plays. While he was just a seventh-round pick, he can surprise people and be a contributor in the running back rotation.
The Bears also picked up wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. He is a Swiss Army knife on the field. He’ll play a few snaps out of the backfield.
Today, the Bears have everyone in the backfield who can not only run the ball well but also contribute in the passing game. Opposing teams cannot focus on one player. This offense has the ability to go deep, intermediate, and short with ease. With all the options in the passing game, teams can’t stack the box, giving the runners more space to run. This makes this offense very dangerous, with the ability to put up a heck of a lot of points in 2019.