Chicago Bears Are "Really High" On Undrafted Rookie

Why are the Chicago Bears still quiet at running back. Everything suggests they should not be. Their depth was already a serious question mark coming into training camp. Now David Montgomery is down with a groin strain. One that could force him to miss the start of the regular season. If true, who in the world will replace him against Detroit?

Right now it looks like that may end up being a committee approach depending on who they keep during final cuts. One can assume Tarik Cohen and Cordarrelle Patterson are locks. Ryan Nall could another option though he's never stood out enough to get a legitimate shot. The only other possibility would be an undrafted rookie.

That being Artavis Pierce. It sounds crazy to think this team would consider such a possibility. Then again, based on what Adam Jahns of the Athletic is hearing, the coaching staff is much higher on him than people realize.

"He played with the 1s later Saturday. The Bears are really high on this kid. He definitely flashes potential, especially as a pass catcher/screens."

Chicago Bears would take a huge risk standing pat

What nobody knows for sure about this situation is Montgomery. Will he miss Week 1? It's possible but not certain. Groin injuries are tricky. It's possible he could play. The Bears aren't revealing their thoughts either way nor should they be expected to. Yet the longer they go with no action, it means one of two things. Either they expect Montgomery to play, or they really do like who they have.

Not going after a proven veteran in favor of an undrafted rookie is a risky move. Teams have had success doing that before but often they could afford to take them since they have better QBs. The Bears are still unsettled at that position. A reliable running game would be a huge help to their offense. Pierce showed at Oregon State that he's an athlete with quickness and speed.

That makes him a nice fit for this system, but he isn't a guy who can make things happen without blocking. So a lot of this will depend on how the Bears feel about their offensive line.