Running the football is a focal point for Ben Johnson. That is how he had so much success in Detroit over the past three years. Naturally, he was aided by a strong offensive line. The Chicago Bears have been busy trying to upgrade that position over the past week. They traded for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, then reached an agreement with free agent Drew Dalman. Blocking should be much better this year. The next step in the plan is obvious: find guys who can run the rock. Enter Nick Chubb.
At one point in time, the former 2nd round pick was arguably the best running back in football. He made four Pro Bowls for the Cleveland Browns and rushed for over 1500 yards in 2022. Sadly, a catastrophic knee injury ended his 2023 season after just two games, and he couldn’t return until late October of last year. He unsurprisingly struggled when he returned due to rust and a litany of injuries to the Browns offensive line. That, along with him being 29 years old, convinced the organization it was time to let him go.
However, one source said the Bears are monitoring his market carefully. There appears to be interest.
The Bears’ interest in Nick Chubb is easy to understand.
Johnson needs a power back to pair with D’Andre Swift in the backfield, similar to what he had with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Chubb was like a bowling ball, running through tackles at a frightening clip when healthy. Some will wonder if he can do that anymore after his injury. He did struggle early in his return, barely managing to top 3.0 yards per carry. Towards the end of the season, he seemed to gain some steam, pushing that number to 4.5 in the final two games against Pittsburgh and Kansas City.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Make no mistake. The Bears wouldn’t be signing Nick Chubb to be their centerpiece back. It is more that he can be an excellent short-yardage option who shouldn’t be too expensive to acquire. Anything he offers beyond that would be a bonus. One should still expect the organization to draft somebody in the early rounds. Chubb makes sense as a calculated risk who might give them whatever gas he has left in the tank.
Very Risky gamble when cap space is marginally low at the current time, money could be better spent elsewhere on the roster, Safety, WR, LB, OT etc.
Maybe he comes on like a 1 year $3M contract.
Not going to happen. the Bears cant afford another high dollar free agent. Still have to pay for the players they draft.
Chubb USED TO BE a great back. Too injury prone to risk signing. Get a power back in the Draft. I Agree with @Dr. Melhus that we could trade down from 10, get an extra pick, and fill needs at LT, RB, Safety… Braxton may not come back fully. You need to protect Caleb’s blindside. What a blunder it would be to get OL and DL help in trades and FA but not draft trench warriors. Also, Brisker’s concussions are a red flag. Gotta sign or draft a replacement who can competently fill that role. Personally, I’d draft a LT… Read more »
Looking at the comments I see every single Bears fan has a different opinion on what to do at RB. I’m thinking with the line we have now and the coaching staff that whoever we pick has a chance to be my fantasy RB1!