Karabell: Bears running-back picture still muddled
And so the Cedric Benson era in Chicago ends -- but really, were fantasy owners ever going to trust this guy anyway? Benson got into trouble recently off the field, and the Bears sent him home from practice Monday. Later in the day the team officially gave up on the third-year running back that, time and time again, had disappointed the Bears and pretty much everyone else -- except opposing defenses.
First Round Busts
The Bears have not had much recent success drafting running backs in the first round. Below are the career numbers for their three most-recent picks at the position.
| Name | |||
| Cedric Benson | |||
| Curtis Enis | |||
| Rashaan Salaam |
From a purely fantasy angle, Benson's release isn't that big a deal. I can't imagine too many keeper league owners, if any, were relying on him, knowing that Benson had failed to live up to expectations, or even approach them. He wasn't a typical goal-line back, hardly a breakaway runner, didn't break tackles well, didn't catch passes and didn't block particularly well. Put simply, Benson was one of the worst running back picks among the top-five selections in the past decade. In fact, according to ESPN research, Curtis Enis is the only top-five drafted running back since 1998 to accrue fewer rushing yards than Benson, although the latter might not officially be done yet, I suppose.
In a running back market in which former MVP Shaun Alexander, Kevin Jones and Travis Henry are available, it's unlikely Benson will be held in much regard, especially with his off-field problems. Speaking of the other free agent running backs, the Bears might be tempted to look in their direction, so don't be surprised if rumors come out soon about mutual interest. My question is, will it really matter with the offensive line in transition and little threat at quarterback?
Adrian Peterson -- aka the other Adrian Peterson -- closed the 2007 season with a few big games, getting 51 combined rushes and turning them into 193 yards. Peterson is 28, and not a breakaway threat, and his efforts in those final games allowed him to rush for more yards than he had receiving. Peterson is a fine receiver, as his 51 catches were among the league leaders for running backs, but hardly a prototypical No. 1 back. Garrett Wolfe was the 2006 NCAA rushing champion from Northern Illinois and didn't get many chances to carry the ball as a rookie, and when the speedy runner did, he averaged 2.7 yards per carry.
Look for the Bears to pit Forte against Wolfe in training camp, and possibly bring in some reinforcements as well. Ultimately, fantasy owners might find that nobody will run successfully for the Bears as long as the quarterback is the erratic Rex Grossman and the offensive line springs leaks. The Bears used a first-round pick on Vanderbilt's Chris Williams, who is better known for pass-blocking than helping the run. Wonderful, just what fantasy owners need.
Ultimately, even with Benson out the door and young running backs looking for opportunity, the Bears might struggle at this position again, so fantasy owners should be wary of how high they draft Chicago offensive players, and how many of them. Cedric Benson had long worn out his welcome to fantasy owners anyway.
- ESPN contributor on TV, radio, podcasts, blogs, Magazine
- Charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame
- Author of "The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments"
SPONSORED HEADLINES
FANTASY TOP HEADLINES
- Fantasy Baseball: May re-rankings
- Oswaldo Arcia profile; top 10 fantasy prospects for '13
- Closer Report: Will Madson close?
- Bits: What to do with Matt Cain?
