No one should be surprised that the Bears and Matt Forte are breaking up. After spending eight years there and racking up 2,077 carries and an even 500 receptions (including the postseason), the Bears clearly saw the 30-year-old Forte as a risk not worth the cap space. Plus, the team already has Jeremy Langford on their roster and locked up for the next three seasons at a ridiculously inexpensive price.
So Forte is on the move. Expect many suitors.
The running back free-agent class is deep, but Forte offers an instant quick-fix for any run game as someone who has proven he can do it all and should still be effective for at least one more year. He actually improved his rushing and receiving averages last season from where they were in 2014.
Already, Fantasy owners are crossing their fingers for Forte to land in New England. It would make sense because he's so versatile, and really the $4 million per year he'd command wouldn't be a bank-breaker. But the Patriots have churned through running backs like Republicans have churned through presidential candidates, so it's no guarantee they'll shell out dough for the vet. But if they did, Fantasy owners would love it.
The teams that especially fit Forte like a glove are those that are close to being a playoff contender and willing to spend upward of that $4 million price tag. The Giants and Texans have loads of cap space and have a need for a short-term boost at running back. The Jets and Ravens also have a need for him -- former Bears coach Marc Trestman is running the offense in Baltimore -- but they don't have quite as much cap space. They could always create it. Like the Patriots, any of those four teams would be fantastic for Forte's value.
So long as he lands in a spot where he can reasonably expect 250 touches and goal-line work, he'll remain as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy running back.
Langford, meanwhile, is in great shape. In three games last season with Forte on the shelf, he totaled four touchdowns (at least one per game) and touched the ball at least 16 times per contest. His yardage was a little shaky -- he followed up a 182-yard game at the Rams with 42 total yards against the Lions -- but there's no denying his involvement. The Bears particularly look sharp for drafting Langford last season and can afford to bulk up their O-line and not sweat their run game much this offseason.
Provided Langford remains in the enviable spot as the lead back on a conservative John Fox team -- particularly if Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White play well enough to keep safeties from cheating toward the line of scrimmage -- he'll have solid appeal as a No. 2 Fantasy back. People who draft receivers in Round 1 will absolutely be after Langford in late Round 2 or Round 3. Ka'Deem Carey figures to be the second back in the Bears rotation (and a potential goal-line vulture).
