A future Hall of Fame running back will be a free agent this offseason, and he has a connection to the Chicago Bears.
Matt Nagy is expected to bring back offensive consultant Brad Childress this offseason, who was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and drafted Adrian Peterson.
The 2012 NFL MVP is no longer the same running back he was in purple and gold, but he did rush for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns for a Washington team that started four different quarterbacks.
He played on a one-year, minimum salary contract and likely won’t command a large deal again this offseason as he turns 34 later this month.
The knock on Peterson has always been his lack of receiving ability, which doesn’t fit well with what Nagy prefers from his running backs, but the veteran would provide a different style of runner than Howard.
Early in the season, Nagy called more gap scheme runs like he did in Kansas City, and it was a particularly poor fit for Howard. As the season went on, the first-year head coach adjusted to more of a zone scheme that fit his running back best.
Peterson is the opposite — much more natural running the gap scheme plays Nagy was trying to implement from the start.
The veteran wouldn’t be the perfect solution in the Bears backfield, but he’s not out of the question as a cheap, stop-gap starter for 2019.
