Getty RB Spencer Ware last played with Kansas City in 2019.
The Chicago Bears will be bringing four running backs in for tryouts this week, including former Kansas City Chiefs starter Spencer Ware, per NFL analyst Albert Breer. Chicago also plans to bring in Wes Hills, Darius Jackson and Rod Smith for work outs.
Today’s tryout/visit list.
The Bears just had running back Lamar Miller poached off their practice squad by the Washington Football Team Wednesday, so they’re now looking for someone to fill that void. Ware is the most high-profile name among the four, and he is familiar with Bears head coach Matt Nagy, spending the 2015-16 seasons with him in Kansas City.
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Spencer Ware Stats & Injury History: A Refresher
Ware hasn’t played since December of 2019, when he left Kansas City’s Week 16 game against Chicago with a shoulder injury. The Chiefs placed him on injured reserve after that, and has yet to catch on with another team. Ware worked out for the Raiders in early December, but the 29-year old running back didn’t wind up landing in Las Vegas.
The Seahawks selected Ware in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He barely played at all his rookie season, carrying the ball three times for 10 yards. He was released by Seattle in 2014, and he caught on in Kansas City after that. The Chiefs signed him to their practice squad at the start of the 2015 season, and he was eventually elevated to the active roster, playing in 11 games that year. He broke out in 2016, scoring five touchdowns while rushing for 921 yards and gaining 1,368 yards from scrimmage.
Injuries derailed his season the following year. He tore multiple ligaments in his knee in the third game of the preseason, and he missed his entire 2017 campaign. He played in 13 games in 2018, rushing for 246 yards on 51 carries (that’s 4.8 yards per carry), scoring two touchdowns. Ware underwent ankle surgery last year, playing in just three games with Kansas City. Now, he’ll get another chance in the Windy City with a coach he’s familiar with.
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Bears Also Work Out RBs Wes Hills, Darius Jackson and Rod Smith
Chicago is also bringing in Wes Hills, Darius Jackson and Rod Smith for workouts this week. Smith played his college ball at Ohio State, and he entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He spent time in Seattle and Dallas earlier in his career before spending time with the Raiders and Titans last year. He has 101 carries for 364 yards (3.6 ypc) and five touchdowns in 55 games.
Jackson was taken in the sixth round by the Cowboys in 2016, but he didn’t see the field until two years later. He has played in four total games, two with Dallas and two with Green Bay, netting six yards on 16 carries (2.7 ypc). Hills signed a three-year, $1.75 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals as an UDFA last year, but he wound up getting waived with an injury settlement. The Lions picked him up later in the season, and he played in one game for Detroit, rushing for 21 yards on 10 carries. He was waived by the Lions at the beginning of the 2020 season.
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