The Chicago Bears were expected to be players in the running back market this offseason, and they struck quickly in free agency with the signing of former Seahawks backup Mike Davis.
While Davis isn’t a headline-grabbing transaction, his addition is a good one for a Bears team looking to add a more explosive three-down back to the roster than Jordan Howard. And while Davis doesn’t have anywhere near the history of production Howard has, he’s also had limited opportunities in his previous stops in San Francisco and Seattle.
Davis joined the 49ers when Carlos Hyde was anointed the franchise back of the future and battled injuries that limited his ability to get going in San Francisco. Davis then signed with the Seahawks, who gave him a legitimate starting opportunity over a six-game stretch in 2017. But despite his promising production that season, the Seahawks drafted Rashad Penny in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft and enjoyed a breakout performance from Chris Carson last year.
Still, Davis finished 2018 averaging 4.6 yards per carry and looked every bit the part of a potentially dominant starting running back.
Now he gets a chance to compete for a legitimate workload in Chicago, assuming the Bears are truly moving on from Howard. The addition of Davis is a strong signal that Ryan Pace is going to trade Howard for draft picks; Davis will finally have his chance.
Considering the low-risk that comes along with the Davis signing, this move is a big win for the Bears.
GRADE: B+
