Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
The Chicago Bears have enough cap space to consider signing at least one luxury player during NFL free agency next month. And with a rookie quarterback potentially coming in to lead their offense, it might be a good time for them to consider adding a veteran safety valve like superstar running back Austin Ekeler.
Ekeler — who turns 29 in May — will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on March 13 and is not expected to return to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. He will have competition on the open market, though, with backs like Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry among the top veterans set to come available.
As Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon pointed out in his February 3 free agency article, though, the question about Ekeler is what he values most in his next contract.
Dallas or Philadelphia might make more sense for Ekeler if he is prioritizing a more prominent playoff contender than Chicago. But if he cares more about longer-term security and playing time, Kenyon believes the Bears could make for an “ideal landing spot” for the dual-threat running back as he looks to extend his prime a few more years.
“Perhaps the Chicago Bears will offer more playing time and a longer-term contract with less money and a tougher path to the postseason,” Kenyon wrote.
Austin Ekeler is Far More Proven Than Bears’ Current RBs
The Bears do not have a desperate need for a new running back. They are likely to lose D’Onta Foreman in free agency next month, but Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson are both under contract for the 2024 season and played well as the primary duo toward the end of 2023. Realistically, they could keep the status quo for next season.
A saturated running back market could tempt Bears general manager Ryan Poles into chasing after a big fish, though, especially if Ekeler is available at an affordable rate.
No disrespect to Herbert or Johnson, who are both steady young players with bright futures, but Ekeler is on another level in terms of his production. He has established himself as one of the league’s premier dual-threat running backs over the past five seasons, putting up 6,742 scrimmage yards and scoring 58 total touchdowns. He has also made 440 career receptions.
A preseason trade request, an injury and general turmoil in L.A. led to a down year for Ekeler in 2023, but he still managed to produce more than 1,000 scrimmage yards and score six touchdowns over 14 games for the Chargers. So long as his health holds up, he is poised to provide an immediate spark to whichever team nets him in free agency.
The Bears would also be right to have questions about price and contract length. Pro Football Focus projects Ekeler will sign a two-year, $13.5 million contract with $8 million guaranteed in 2024 NFL free agency, but the Bears could potentially drive down the annual value of his deal if they make him a three-year offer or add incentives.
Then again, the Bears decided against paying David Montgomery just a year ago in 2023 free agency, and he only signed for $6 million annually with Detroit.
Could Bears Instead Find Another RB in the NFL Draft?
The Bears could pull off an offseason surprise and sign a big-name running back for the next phase of their rebuild. If they want to add another rusher to the fold, it is far more likely they turn to the 2024 NFL draft instead of free agency, though.
Poles has drafted a running back in each of his first two drafts as GM, taking Trestan Ebner in the sixth round of 2022 and grabbing Johnson in the fourth round of 2023. While they could survive with just Herbert, Johnson and Travis Homer next season, Poles might want to go three-for-three and draft another rookie running back into the mix in 2024, especially with Herbert preparing to enter the last year of his rookie deal.
The Bears have bigger priorities than a running back during the first two days of the draft, but perhaps they would consider using one of their two fourth-round picks or their lone fifth-rounder on a rookie running back, if the right prospect fell to them.
A few of the prospects who may be available in that fourth-to-fifth-round range include Notre Dame’s Audric Estime, Clemson’s Will Shipley and Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen.