Chicago Bears Running Back Tales: Who Will Make the Depth Chart?
Published by Dmitri Duggan on July 18, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
On September 5, 2010, the Chicago Bears‘ 80-man roster space will be cut down to a 53-man roster.
Alas, their six halfbacks will be cut down to a maximum of four. Who will make the final roster? And who will be running plays for the practice squad?
Now, we all know how much passing Martz does, so there’s a good chance that the Bears will have three halfbacks instead of the four they had last year. But we all know how much Lovie loves running, so there’s also a good chance there will be four half backs.
We’ll just say hypothetically that there are going to be four half backs. So, I’ll analyse each one, then predict their order on the depth chart.
Matt Forte had a dominating in 2008, but underwhelming 2009- rushing for only 929 yards while fumbling six times. Fumbling was unusual for Forte, having fumbled only once his rookie season. Shouldn’t he fumble less as he gets more experience? I don’t know.
But, when Forte’s not fumbling, he’s a pretty powerful number one option. His decent speed and great evasiveness could make him one of the top running backs in the league… as long as he holds onto the ball.
Kahlil Bell isn’t anything special. He got extremely lucky during the Eagles game in 2009, and suddenly, it earned him a roster spot. He isn’t pro ready and needs a couple of years to mature—on the practice squad.
Chester Taylor is arguably the best No. 2 halfback in NFL history. Taylor, along with Adrian Peterson, made the one of the best running back duos I had ever seen. The big question is- can he have the same chemistry with Matt Forte?
Brandon Minor may become one of the biggest breakout UFAs in NFL history. I have seen him play four years in the collegiate ranks at the University of Michigan and I can say firsthand that the only reason he went undrafted is because he missed the combine. He won’t be an immediate success, but give him a year or so, he can become the next Willie Parker.
Garrett Wolfe has been pretty good during his three years in Chicago. Not fantastic, but pretty good. At 5’7″, he became a fan favorite as the “little giant” of the halfback position. He’s a great number two option, but unfortunately for Wolfey we have Chester Taylor.
Harvey Unga, in my personal opinion, was a waste of a draft pick. He doesn’t really have the ability to do anything special except for the “three yards and a cloud of dust” plays. I think that the Bears should just release him.
So, the best possible order of the depth chart is:
1. Matt Forte
2. Chester Taylor
3. Garrett Wolfe
4. Brandon Minor
Unga and Bell are probably going to either the practice squad, or free agency. The end.
©2010 by Dmitri Duggan. Do not re-post without giving distinctive credit to Dmitri Duggan.
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