The Chicago Bears could finally be ready to take a chance on do-it-all running back Clint Ratkovich after bringing him in for yet another visit this week.
According to the NFL’s official transaction wire for December 13, the Bears brought in Ratkovich for an official visit on Tuesday after hosting him last month for a workout. The former Northern Illinois rookie “super back” also met with Chicago during the pre-draft process earlier this year, but that was before he tore his ACL at the Green Bay Packers’ pro day on April 3 and fell off everyone’s draft boards.
Ratkovich is a 6-foot-1, 228-pound hybrid rushing weapon who is capable of lining up as a running back, fullback, H-back or wide receiver, which is the type of versatility that the Bears could find useful as their look to continue building their offense. He was also a scoring machine during his lone season with the Huskies in 2021, rushing for 13 touchdowns and scoring another two times through the air. He was impressive enough that he earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl showcase for NFL prospects.
While the ACL injury set him back, Ratkovich has been medically cleared to return to the field and is expectedly eager to earn his stripes as an NFL player. It could be worth it for the Bears to take a flier on him, even if it is just to stash him on their practice squad and see if he can push Khari Blasingame for his role as their rostered fullback down the line.
The Bears are at full capacity for both their 53-man roster and 14-man practice squad, so they would need to cut someone if they wanted to sign Ratkovich after his visit.
Evans Getting More Reps Than Ebner in Bears’ Backfield
When Khalil Herbert landed on injured reserve back in November, it had been expected that rookie Trestan Ebner would have a chance to step up as the No. 2 back alongside starter David Montgomery moving forward. He had shown flashes in the preseason with an average of four yards per carry and 39 of his 60 rushing yards coming after contact and was the only running back that Poles drafted despite a chunk of Day 3 picks.
Instead, Darrynton Evans — a 2020 third-round pick for the Tennessee Titans — has looked like the more explosive complementary piece in Herbert’s absence.
Evans hasn’t gotten a ton of carries over the past few weeks with Montgomery and quarterback Justin Fields doing most of the work in helping the Bears maintain their status as the league’s top rushing offense (189.2 yards per game) this season. He has made the most of his limited opportunities, though. He broke off a 21-yard run against the Packers in Week 13 and had a 33-yard reception in the previous game against the New York Jets, pushing Ebner to the wayside.
The Justin Fields effect. Packers LB Quay Walker comes unblocked and doesn’t even touch Darrynton Evans bc he’s so focused on Fields running. #DaBears #ChicagoBears
Ebner took just two snaps of offense in each of the Bears’ past two games, while Evans has combined for more than 30 offensive snaps in the same span.
Will Bears Re-Sign David Montgomery for 2023?
The Bears could very well finish out the season with the NFL’s top rushing offense, especially if Fields continues to work his scrambling magic and dance through defenses down the final four-game stretch. Nevertheless, Bears general manager Ryan Poles will have an important decision to make about the future of the backfield this offseason as the team weighs the future of Montgomery as their lead back.
Montgomery has been one of the Bears’ most valuable offensive weapons over the past four seasons, proving well worth the third-round pick that former GM Ryan Pace used to get him in 2019 and racking up more than 4,600 yards from scrimmage over 56 career games. Between Montgomery’s injury issues over the past two seasons and the emergence of Herbert as a starter-quality back, though, Chicago might not be willing to pay a premium to keep him around — even with an enormous amount of cap space.
Based on Spotrac’s calculated market value, Montgomery could be looking to earn between $9-10 million per year on his next contract. The Bears could afford it, but they might be more interested in trying to talk him into a team-friendly deal to avoid the trouble of duking it out with other quality backs on the open market. After all, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Kareem Hunt, Rashaad Penny, Miles Sanders and Jamaal Williams are also scheduled to be free agents when the new league year begins in March 2023.
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Bears Show Renewed Interest in Signing Rookie ‘Super Back’