On paper, the Chicago Bears running back group looks thin. After the Mike Davis experiment officially concluded in November of last season, only David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen left on the roster who had any significant experience.
It seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Bears would take a running back in the draft or add a veteran back in free agency. While the draft has come and gone, the Bears can still add a solid depth piece with names like Devonta Freeman, Isaiah Crowell, and Carlos Hyde, all looking for homes in 2020.
However, the Bears made an underrated move shortly after the draft, signing Artavis Pierce as an undrafted free agent. The Oregon State product played in 11 games as a true freshman, rushing for 523 yards and averaging 5.3 yards-per-carry.
In both his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Pierce played behind current Bears’ running back Ryan Nall. Now on the same roster again, Pierce has the chance to unseat his fellow undrafted free agent teammate.
As a junior, Pierce took a backseat to Jermar Jefferson but still averaged 7.6 yards-per-carry on 54 attempts. As a senior, he evenly split carries with Jefferson, rushing for 873 yards and averaging 6.0 yards-per-carry.
Perhaps his greatest strength – and where he can help the Bears the most – is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He played in a similar style of offense at Oregon State, so the transition should be seamless. Pierce hauled in 74 catches for 578 yards – 7.8 yards-per-catch – in four years on campus.
