Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Derrick Henry headlined a running back revolution in 2024, and the Chicago Bears sound primed to aggressively look to upgrade at the position, alongside quarterback Caleb Williams in the backfield.
One year removed from signing running back D’Andre Swift as free agency began, and narrowly missing out on adding Barkley before the former No. 2 overall pick inked a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, general manager Ryan Poles sounds like the Bears are prepared to make big moves at running back.
The Bears could prioritize adding a dynamic running back to pair alongside Swift, in an effort to replicate the success head coach Ben Johnson had calling a Detroit Lions offense powered by prolific backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
“We’re going to take a look at what’s available to us,” Poles told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “I really believe it lines up with the additions we’re going to have over these next two player acquisition periods of free agency and the draft, we’ll be in a position to have a strong run game, to stay balanced, which, in turn helps the quarterback out.”
In his first season in Chicago, Swift rushed for 959 yards and six touchdowns, but the Bears sound ready to make a major upgrade.
How the Chicago Bears can upgrade at running back
There isn’t likely to be a running back available in free agency who will have anywhere close to the impact Henry or Barkley made this past season, but this is primed to be a deep draft class at the position.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is the prize of the class, and according to Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network, the Bears are among the teams to already have a formal meeting scheduled with the 5-foot-9 and 219-pound dynamo this week in Indianapolis.
Last season, Jeanty rushed for a prolific 2,601 yards with 29 touchdowns, while averaging seven yards per carry as the focal point of the Broncos’ offensive attack.
If the Bears are able to land Jeanty in the first round, he has the potential to not only throw Johnson’s playbook wide open but also have a game-altering impact both on Williams’ development and the production of the other weapons on offense because of the respect he’ll command from opposing defenders.
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