Getty Former Eagles RB Wendell Smallwood was one of three backs to work out for the Bears this week.
The Chicago Bears are looking to add some depth at running back.
Per the NFL waiver wire, the Bears worked out three role-playing RBs this week: Brian Hill, Wendell Smallwood and Chris Thompson. All three are capable pass catchers who can also make plays out of the backfield.
The Bears currently have just one running back on the practice squad in Ryan Nall. They let Artavis Pierce and defensive tackle Auzoyah Alufohai go heading into Week 1 to make room for defensive linemen Margus Hunt and Damion Square — the latter of whom was poached by the Las Vegas Raiders a week later. With gadget back Tarik Cohen still out indefinitely, it’s not that big of a surprise to see the team looking at more depth at the position behind David Montgomery, Damien Williams and rookie Khalil Herbert.
Let’s take a closer look at the three backs the Bears just brought in.
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Brian Hill: Background & Stats
Hill was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. He made the team’s practice squad his rookie year, but the Cincinnati Bengals snagged him in November, signing him to their active roster. He played in six games during his rookie campaign, but he was used minimally, rushing 11 times for 37 yards.
He landed back with the Falcons in 2018, where he played until the end of the 2020 season. The 6-foot-1, 219-pound RB played in 38 games for the Falcons, starting three. He had 198 carries for 945 yards (that’s 4.8 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. He also caught 36 passes for 277 yards and a score in his second stint with Atlanta. He caught on with the Tennessee Titans this offseason, but was released prior to the start of the season.
Hill doesn’t have any baggage injury-wise, which is a plus.
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Wendell Smallwood: Background & Stats
The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Smallwood out of West Virginia in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2016 NFL draft. He played in 37 games for the Eagles from 2016-18, starting 12. He amassed 850 yards on 211 carries (4.0 yards per carry) and five scores on the ground while adding 388 yards and two scores on 47 catches.
The Eagles waived the 5-foot-10, 208-pound Smallwood the following year, and the Washington Football Team claimed him off waivers. He spent the 2019 season in Washington, where he was used minimally. He played in 15 games, rushing 22 times for 81 yards, and he also had nine receptions for 64 yards through the air.
Smallwood signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, appearing in just one game and not registering any stats. He spent the bulk of the year on the practice squad and was elevated for a game when James Conner was placed on the COVID-19/reserve list.
His injury history isn’t alarming; Smallwood sprained his MCL in 2016 and missed two games the following season with a minor knee injury.
Chris Thompson: Background & Stats
Thompson is the oldest of the three backs the Bears brought in. He was taken by Washington in the fifth round (154th overall) of the 2013 draft, and he spent his first seven seasons with the team. He played in 66 games for WFT, starting one, and he accumulated 1,194 yards rushing on 250 carries (4.8 yards per carry) and five touchdowns, also catching 212 passes for 1,772 yards and 10 receiving scores.
Thompson landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, where he played in eight games. He had seven rushes for 20 yards and 20 receptions for 146 yards and a TD.
As the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Thompson has played the longest of the three backs the Bears worked out, it makes sense that he has the most lengthy injury history. He tore his ACL back in college in 2012, and he didn’t suffer another major injury until he tore his labrum in 2015. He fractured his fibula during the 2017 season, and a chest-rib bruise forced him out of six games in 2018.
UPDATE: Thompson signed with the San Francisco 49ers practice squad on September 22.
Of the three backs, Hill is the biggest, and the most intriguing. He’s young, he has some experience (he has more than Nall, anyway) and he would fit in well in Matt Nagy’s offense. We’ll see what the Bears do, but expect another practice squad addition soon.