Bears GM Ryan Poles Is Valuing Running Backs The Way His Predecessor Did: Not A Lot

Ryan Poles doesn’t agree with former Bears general manager Ryan Pace on many things. But the two have one thing in common: Neither seem to value investments in running backs.

David Montgomery earned $2.79 million last season, his fourth as the Bears’ featured back. He started 16 games and turned in his usual workhorse totals, rushing for 801 yards on 201 carries. It marked the fourth year in a row he ran for at least 800 yards and scored at least six touchdowns, and it did it on a rebuilding roster that was constantly shuffling offensive linemen.

The Bears said all the right things about Montgomery but were not reported to have engaged in serious bidding to keep him. Montgomery landed a three-year, $18 million deal with the Lions, who play the Bears twice a year in the NFC North.

With a free agent class that included Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Kareem Hunt, Miles Sanders, Jamaal Williams, Jeff Wilson and Alexander Mattison — with Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard staying put via franchise tags — Poles chose to watch his spending despite having the most salary cap flexibility in the league.

The Bears signed well-traveled 27-year-old D’Onta Foreman to a one-year, $2 million deal and versatile 25-year-old Travis Homer to a two-year, $4 million contract. Poles is counting on third-year back Khalil Herbert to be the featured weapon in a backfield that will also include Roschon Johnson, a fourth-year pick in this year’s draft, and 2022 sixth-rounder Trestan Ebner.

Given that the Bears still have $32.4 million of salary cap room, it’s interesting that they took a passive approach when the Los Angeles Chargers gave fantasy football superstar Austin Ekeler permission to seek a trade. Ekeler would have added immediate sizzle behind quarterback Justin Fields and his primary target, D.J. Moore, and the Bears could have signed off an long-term extension.

Poles, of course, learned the job working for the Kansas City Chiefs, who are content rotating unproven running backs while riding Patrick Mahomes to championships. The Chiefs have had a different leading rusher in each of Mahomes’ five seasons as a starter, with none gaining more than 830 yards.

The Bears are taking the same approach. They rank 21st in the NFL in spending at running back and fullback, per Spotrac, at a total of $9.3 million. The Cowboys ($31.4 million), Titans ($22.1 million), Vikings ($21.3 million), Raiders ($20 million), Browns ($18.4 million), Bengals ($17.2 million), 49ers ($15.3 million) and Giants ($15 million) have the league’s biggest investments in running backs and fullbacks.