The Chicago Bears running backs have been lost in the shuffle of late. This isn’t surprising. Most of the team’s offseason moves were geared around helping Mitch Trubisky in the passing game. Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller and Trey Burton bolstered the receiving and tight end positions respectively.
Yet make no mistake. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen remain the focal point of this offense. In fact, they could become even more devastating in 2018. Not so much because of the new weapons around them, but because of the new system they’re set to play in under head coach Matt Nagy. One that will feature a substantial increase of RPOs.
Before going into depth here, it’s important to clarify for those who don’t understand the basis of an “RPO.” What exactly is it? It is an acronym for a form of offense called run-pass option. The run-pass option is a crafty alignment with a clear aim: to isolate a defender who has both run and pass responsibilities. The quarterback reads what he’s going to do. If it’s a pass rush, he hands the ball to the running back. If it’s a crash to stop the run, he keeps it and looks for an open receiver.
When executed properly, it can be one of the hardest things in football to defend. This was especially true for the Bears last year when they bothered to try.
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Which team ran the most RPOs in 2017? Who was the most successful when they used them?https://t.co/AmaUZFXdW0 pic.twitter.com/p68YBgS90C
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) July 1, 2018
Chicago Bears running backs were devastating out of RPO formations
Think about that. Howard and Cohen were so effective out of run-pass option plays that they averaged a full two yards more per carry than the next closest team on the list. This despite having a rookie quarterback in Trubisky making the reads and doing the handoffs. Defenses knew they didn’t have to fear Trubisky’s passes as much but they still couldn’t stop it.
Part of the reason for this success was a mixture of Cohen’s speed and quickness along with Howard’s outstanding vision and decisiveness. Their ability to find the gaps and exploit them was evident all year. Yet Trubisky does deserve some credit. While he struggled passing out of RPO formations (just 3.4 yards per attempt) he was a legitimate threat as a runner himself in those situations.
So why is it such a big deal that Nagy is in charge? Put simply his offense loves to utilize the run-pass option. Alex Smith and Kareem Hunt used it to devastating effect at times in 2017. As a team, the Chiefs ran the ball 222 times out of the shotgun formation, which is often an RPO situation. They posted 5.2 yards per carry for the season and scored 10 touchdowns. That’s outstanding production.
Given the backfield the Bears have, the growing experience of Trubisky and now passing weapons that won’t allow defenses to stack the box? It’s possible 2018 could see them trample opponents with the run-pass option attack. All they need is somebody who’s willing to make it a featured part of the offense. That is where Nagy and his staff come in.
