The Chicago Bears are shaking up their depth chart and signing running back Darrynton Evans from the Miami Dolphins practice squad, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on October 8. Evans spent last season with the Bears, appearing in six games with 64 yards on 14 rushing attempts and one reception for 33 yards.
Bears Bring Back Darrynton Evans With Khalil Herbert Injured
Darrynton Evan Reacts to Signing With Bears
Evan’s signing comes on the heels of the Bears losing all three of their healthy running backs in Week 5 versus the Washington Commanders.
He seems ready for his opportunity but is joining a beaten-up backfield.
Chicago, Let’s run it back❗️ 😌🐻 #BearDown pic.twitter.com/juQr5WOQA2
— Darrynton Evans (@ItzLiveee) October 8, 2023
“#Bears RB Khalil Herbert is expected to miss multiple weeks because of the ankle injury he suffered Thursday night against the #Commanders, Pelissero posted. “With Roschon Johnson (concussion) and Travis Homer (hamstring) also ailing, it could be D’Onta Foreman time for Chicago.”
Johnson and Homer both left the game while Herbert tried to return from his injury which he suffered after bending awkwardly while trying to haul in a pass. His valiant effort lasted just a couple of snaps before Herbert collapsed on a handoff and made his way back to the sideline.
Herbert was coming off his best game of the season in the Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos with 103 yards on 18 carries. He had 76 yards on 10 carries before bowing out of Week 5.
The third-year back missed four games due to injury last season.
D’Onta Foreman Could Start in Week 6
The Bears signed Foreman to a one-year, $2 million contract in free agency. But they drafted Roschon Johnson who has shown well in his opportunities leaving Foreman a healthy scratch since Week 2. Foreman has just 16 yards on five carries this season.
While it is far from an ideal situation, the Bears are in good hands.
Foreman rushed for 914 yards on 203 attempts last season with the Carolina Panthers, adding five rushing touchdowns. He has also touted his seldom-utilized receiving chops to reporters during the preseason. Foreman caught nine of his 11 targets for 123 yards as a member of the Tennessee Titans in 2021.
Foreman’s 40% success rate on his carries this season is the lowest mark of the Bears’ top three backs but comes on an extremely small sample size.
Bears Ground Game Was Coming Alive
The Bears fielded the NFL’s No. 1 rushing attack last season, thanks in large part to quarterback Justin Fields setting the franchise’s single-season rushing record by a quarterback which he says he has little interest in replicating.
Still, the Bears’ ground game ranked 17th going into Week 4 with 101.7 yards yards per game.
They have rushed for at least 171 yards in each of the last two weeks while Fields has contributed 25 and 57 yards in Weeks 4 and 5, respectively.
Without Herbert, the Bears lose some shiftiness in the backfield. Just two of Homer’s 75 snaps this season have come on offense. Evans adds some of that back and gets a little extra time to get reacclimated to the playbook with the additional time off following Thursday Night Football. Updates on Johnson’s timeline are likely to be a little more nebulous from the Bears given that his is a head injury and they are generally mum as it is.