Joique Bell to Bears: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction
Published by Adam Wells on September 27, 2016
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Veteran running back Joique Bell has found a new home. The Chicago Bears officially announced they signed Bell on Tuesday.
NFL Insider Rand Getlin initially reported the move.
Bell posted a picture on Instagram with the bear-down hashtag:
The Bears have been a mess to start this season, going 0-3 without scoring more than 17 points in any game.
Running back has been a problem area with Jeremy Langford battling injuries through three weeks. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Langford is expected to miss four to six weeks with a sprained ankle suffered in a Week 3 loss against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bears were already playing without quarterback Jay Cutler, who is battling a thumb injury. Brian Hoyer started in his place on Sunday.
Bell spent the previous four seasons with the Detroit Lions. He looked like their running back of the future in 2012, impressing with 414 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 82 carries. His workload increased each of the next two seasons, totaling 389 carries, but he racked up just 1,510 yards (3.9 yards per carry).
Yet even as Bell’s numbers went into decline, he was still capable of flashing moments of his former glory, like in Week 13 against Green Bay, via NFL.com:
The Lions’ attempts to improve their running game led to their drafting of Ameer Abdullah. Meanwhile, Bell’s role in the offense diminished, as he totaled just 90 carries in 13 games. His hometown team released the Michigan native on Feb. 16.
One problem that has hampered Bell has been health, as he missed three games in 2015, but he told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press in January he feels strong now:
As far as my health, this is the best off-season I’ve had since going into my third year (in 2012). Going into my third year, I had a pretty good season. I feel probably just as good now as I felt then. So I really have an off-season where I can train the way that I want to train and get after it.
While that could just be player-speak in order to make teams feel more confident about his ability to play, Bell needs a physical boost, given where his career has gone since 2013.
The 30-year-old is at a career crossroads. NFL running backs don’t generally have a long shelf life because the demands of the position force their body to take a beating, but Bell is getting another chance to prove he has something left in the tank.
Even though his role won’t likely be huge in Chicago, at least to start since he will need to learn the offense, Bell has proved to be a reliable runner and pass-catcher. He will be a solid playmaker for a Bears team that needs more of those in 2016.
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