Here's what Bears' interest in C.J. Anderson means for Jeremy Langford
Why did the Bears offer C.J. Anderson a contract when they have Jeremy Langford on the roster?
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3 min read
The Bears reportedly offered running back C.J. Anderson a four-year contract worth $19 million -- that's according to Mike Klis of 9News. But, instead of hopping on a flight to Chicago to rejoin his ex-coach John Fox, Anderson jumped on a plane to Miami to reunite with Adam Gase. Now, the Broncos are deciding if they should match the Dolphins' offer. That situation is still unfolding.
So is the Bears' running back situation.
When the Bears' opted to let Matt Forte walk in free agency, they seemingly cast a vote of confidence in Jeremy Langford, a player the Bears invested a fourth-round pick in just a year ago. And, when given a chance to fill in for Forte, Langford flashed promise, totaling 816 yards from scrimmage and scoring seven touchdowns. But the news of the Bears' interest in Anderson signals something other than confidence in Langford.
The Bears' reported offer for Anderson means three things:
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The Bears aren't as high on Langford as many presumed
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The Bears want to use a multi-back offensive system
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The Bears will look to upgrade any position on their roster
Let's start with the first item: The Bears aren't entirely sold on Langford.
They shouldn't be. That's not to say Langford won't play a significant role in the Bears' future -- he will -- it's just ... perhaps we all jumped the gun on his development. Perhaps we propped him up a bit too high after his solid rookie season. Because, despite the promise he displayed, his flaws stuck out.
He wasn't productive. Langford not only averaged just 3.6 yards per carry last season, but he also averaged a league-worst 2.7 yards per carry against base defenses, according to Pro Football Focus.
He dealt with a case of the drops. Per Fox Sports' tracker, Langford dropped seven passes, despite being targeted just 42 times. Those drops sometimes came in crucial situations. This third-down miscue cost the Bears a chance at a win and led to a loss.
And that's why the Bears would be wise to find another back to help shoulder the load, which brings us to No. 2 on that list.
That second running back, as of now, would be Ka'Deem Carey -- the Bears' fourth-round pick in 2014. Carey, like Langford, flashed potential last season. But, like Langford, Carey wasn't productive, averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Carey proved his worth this past season as the team's short-yardage ball carrier, but that's all his role should entail.
And that means the Bears are still in need of a player to handle the majority, or at least half, of the carries. Just because the possibility of landing Anderson is long gone doesn't mean the Bears will stop looking.
Besides, Fox clearly prefers a two-back system.
"We've always been believers in kind of a one-two punch and rolling guys through there whether it's the defensive line -- a wave of those guys to stay fresh," Fox told reporters last May. "I've always had the approach -- the same thing -- with running backs."
And now we've arrived at the final item on the checklist: The Bears won't stop improving every position on the field. General manager Ryan Pace already revamped the linebacker core in one year, and fixing the rest of the defense needs to be high on his to-do list, but he shouldn't settle on the offensive side of the ball.
If anything, the Bears, who are positioned 11th in the draft order, should be selecting the best player available next month. And if that's Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott then the Bears should snag him and insert him right behind and alongside Jay Cutler.
Again, Langford isn't a bad option. This article and the Bears' interest in Anderson shouldn't be interpreted as a knock on Langford. He still holds value and promise. But he's a 24-year-old player who struggled to be efficient in his first season. He's never served as the feature-back in an NFL offense. The Bears know that and that's why they (rightfully) targeted Anderson.
