The big rule of football or any other sport is never get rid of a good player unless you have a contingency plan in place. The Chicago Bears did the wise thing last year when they chose not to trade Jordan Howard. Nobody else on the roster was close to offering what he could and the team was in no position to find somebody capable of it. That is different this time around.
Word persists the team is fielding possible trade offers for their young running back. All the while they’ve begun a search for replacements. There are a number of names on the free agent market who could help. However, it seems the team has one, in particular, they’d like to snag according to Ian Rapoport on NFL Network.
Credit to Matt Gentile of the Chicago Sports Column for the video.
Better (yet still low quality) proof of @RapSheet's report. pic.twitter.com/0NWeprn7iZ
— Matt Gentile (@MGentile88) March 10, 2019
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Mark Ingram would be the perfect bridge RB for the Chicago Bears
The former two-time Pro Bowl runner Mark Ingram had a great career in New Orleans, helping them field one of the best offenses in NFL history. However, he’s set to turn 30 and the Saints can’t afford to keep him on the payroll any longer. Thus his search begins for a new home with the Bears and Packers once again going head-to-head with the most interest.
Some people are skeptical of this move for two key reasons. His obvious age and the fact he seems to be the same type of player that Howard is. Neither is warranted. Yes Ingram will be 30 this year but there’s something to keep in mind. He’s only averaged 12.46 carries per game in his career. By comparison, Ezekiel Elliott has been averaging 21.7 through his first three seasons.
Ingram doesn’t have near the wear and tear on his body a 30-year old running back normally would. As to the Howard comparison, Ingram has caught 228 passes in his career. This includes 125 over the past three seasons. That’s considerably more than the 72 Howard had. Ingram can be a factor in the passing game.
There’s reason to think Ingram has a couple of good years left in him. This would buy the Bears enough time to continue stack talent at other key positions before having to address it with a higher pick in the draft. It’s a good scenario from a business perspective.
