While Monday afternoon reports suggest that Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte's MCL injury isn't that serious and may not, in fact, even cause him to miss any time, it sounds like the Bears and new head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace are still considering the addition of another ballcarrier. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported mid-Monday afternoon that the Bears are "discussing" former Broncos running back Montee Ball in the wake of Forte's injury.
Ball, of course, was with Fox when the two were members of the Broncos organization. Ball, a former second-round pick by Denver, played in 16 games his rookie season, rushing 120 times for 559 yards and four touchdowns. He saw just five games of work last season though, thanks mostly to injury, and saw his spot in the Broncos lineup ultimately usurped by a combination of CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.
Ball managed just 68 yards on 32 carries for a per-carry average of 2.1 yards during the preseason behind Anderson and Hillman and he was subsequently released by the Broncos in early Sept. after the team couldn't find a taker for the one-time presumed starter.
For the Bears, while recent reports have suggested that Forte's injury is not particularly severe, the suggestion that he won't miss any time is probably unrealistic. Yes, Forte has played through an MCL injury before. But unless this most recent sprain is extremely mild, he's likely to miss at least a game.
If Forte can't go, rookie Jeremy Langford would step into Chicago's starting role. In seven games this season, Langford hasn't given Bears fans much to go on. He's carried the ball 27 times for just 80 yards and two touchdowns. He's also caught two passes for 31 yards.
It's a small sample size and there's nothing to suggest he's ready to shoulder a full-time load in Forte's absence. Still, Ball likely represents only a slight upgrade over the former Michigan State standout.
Picking Ball up for insurance makes sense, but Langford's still likely to carry the load should Forte indeed miss time.
