Getty RB Ryan Nall of the Chicago Bears has been added to the roster.
Ryan Nall is moving on up. The Chicago Bears promoted the running back to the active roster ahead of their Week 5 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, the team announced on October 9.
The move came as a result of the team’s starting running back, David Montgomery, being placed on the injured reserve list while he recovers from a sprained knee. With Montgomery out, his backup Damien Williams will fill in as RB1, while rookie sixth-round pick Khalil Herbert will follow him on the depth chart. Nall will be RB3, and it’s possible he may spend the bulk of his time on defensive special teams, which he did during the 2019 and 2020 regular seasons.
In addition to placing Montgomery on IR and elevating Nall, Chicago also announced the release of offensive lineman Alex Taylor from its practice squad. The team added wide receiver and punt returner Nsimba Webster to fill his spot. The Bears had just cut Webster this week after sending a sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Jakeem Grant, and now, he has been re-signed to the practice squad as depth in the return department.
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What Role Will Nall Fill for the Bears?
While Nall likely won’t see many carries out of the backfield, don’t be surprised if Chicago uses him as a blocker in certain situations. The Bears have had two tight ends in Jesse James and JP Holtz go down with injuries this week, and while neither injury is significant, Nall and tight end Jesper Horsted should fill their roles in the offense as blockers until they’re healthy again.
Nall has played in 24 games for the Bears over the last two seasons, and he has five carries for eight yards. He also has eight catches for 67 yards and a score, but, as noted, his role has been primarily on special teams in recent years. He played 33% of the team’s snaps on special teams in 2019 and 65% of the special teams snaps last season.
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Bears Confident in Depth at RB
With Montgomery out an estimated 4-5 weeks, the Bears’ depth at running back is going to be crucial, particularly considering they play the Raiders, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in that stretch.
Still, the team is confident moving forward with Williams, a seven-year vet who won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Herbert, a speedy rookie who has shown flashes on kickoff returns so far this season.
“He’s just a pro, he’s just a pro,” Bears offensive lineman Germain Ifedi said about Williams on October 5. “He’s played in different schemes and he just always has been successful at getting yards and doing it the right way.”
Ifedi added that while the team will miss Montgomery, it has confidence that Williams and Herbert can help propel the offense with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor now calling the plays.
“We just know what we’re going to get from him and it’s an everyday type of deal,” Ifedi said, in reference to Williams. “With him coming in, and you know the rookie (Herbert), they’ve been impressive and we’ve been impressed with what they give us.”
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