It has not been a great offseason for the Chicago Bears as everything that general manager Ryan Pace has done to try to improve the team has backfired. Pace failed to trade for an elite quarterback such as Russell Wilson or Derek Carr. He could not sign top-tier free agents like receiver Kenny Golladay and now appears unable to trade up in the draft. Chicago's GM did making a key signing earlier this week that could provide much-needed flexibility in the offense's passing game next season.

Bears Signing Former Chiefs running back Damien Williams Is Significant

On Wednesday, The Bears signed former Chiefs running back Damien Williams to a one-year deal to be the team's third running back. The signing gives the team another quality running back and three dual-threat backs who can make a difference in both the running game and passing game. Williams sat out the 2020 season due to COVID safety concerns, but he made a national name in the last game he played. In Super Bowl LIV, the Chiefs running back rushed for 104 yards, scored two touchdowns, and caught four passes for 30 yards.

Williams' best season came in 2019 with the chiefs as he averaged over four yards per carry and had two games in which he rushed for over 120 yards. The running back was equally effective in the passing game as he had three or more receptions in six of the 11 games he played in. Williams should transition easily into the Bears' offense as head coach Matt Nagy's playbook is almost identical to Chiefs' head coach Andy Reid's playbook.

Flexibility Is Key With The Williams' Signing

The most important aspect of this signing is that it helps out the wide receiver position as that position continues to be in a state of flux. Although the Bears' have both Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney in place, it does not appear that the rest of the receivers will be here when the season starts in September. Both Javon Wims and Anthony Miller are likely to either be traded or released due to their character concerns leaving with Bears just three receivers on the roster.

Pace attempted to fill this void by signing Golladay but lost the bidding-war to the New York Giants. Now that other free agents, including Sammy Watkins, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Ty Hilton, have all either re-signed or signed elsewhere, the Bears' free-agent options are limited. One potential route to provide depth at the position could be utilizing running back Tarik Cohen as a receiver. Cohen has been one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league as he has averaged 67 receptions per season during the first three years of his career. In Cohen's rookie season back in 2017, former Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains deployed the running back as an extra wide-receiver having him line up in the slot and not the backfield. Cohen caught 24 passes through the first four games of the 2017 season, in which he was lined up either out wide or in the slot position. The decision was due in part to several injuries to the Bears' receivers that left the team with a massive lack of talent at the receiver position. https://youtu.be/BtKnUcrSF0A Nagy has continued to use Cohen as a pass-catching running back, but more so out of the backfield, whether on screens or wheel routes. If the Bears are unable to find receiver talent in the draft, the Williams' signing now gives Nagy the option to use Cohen as a wide receiver. With Montgomery as the team's starting running back, the former Chiefs running back can be used as the number two back and be utilized more out of the backfield on passing plays.

Having Cohen be featured out wide could be beneficial to his career as he will be returning from a season-ending ACL injury suffered back in week three of last year. The quick back could be better suited not taking as many carries as he has in the past for his first season back, but still could be featured prominently in the passing game. Cohen's speed in the open field makes him a significant threat, and lined up against a slot corner or linebacker could be an ideal matchup for new quarterback Andy Dalton to take advantage of.

Although the Williams signing doesn't appear significant, it will potentially have greater value as the 2021 season progress. The Bears will have three quality running backs whose versatility will provide the team better depth and more options in the passing game. Whether it's hitting Williams on a swing pass out of the backfield or hitting Cohen on a 10-yard out route, it provides more passing options to Dalton, which is most important.