Tag: Khari Blasingame

Bears 2022 RB review: David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert help make history

Our next Bears position review is running back, which helped set the single-season team rushing record but looks uncertain going into 2023.

The Chicago Bears wrapped the 2022 season with a 3-14 record, which culminated in a 10-game losing streak. But there’s still reasons to be optimistic about the future, including a boatload of salary cap space, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and the emergence of quarterback Justin Fields.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position through the 2022 Bears and grading every player. Following the quarterbacks, our next group is running back, a position that contributed to the best rushing season for the Bears in team history with 3,014 yards, but looks uncertain heading into 2023.

Bears injury updates on final day of training camp

Bears RB Khalil Herbert and FB Khari Blasingame return to practice on the final day of training camp.

The Chicago Bears have battled injuries throughout training camp. But on the final day of training camp, Chicago got some good news.

According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Bears running back Khalil Herbert and fullback Khari Blasingame returned to practice on Sunday.

Blasingame was spotted with a brace on his left arm during last Thursday’s preseason game against the Seahawks. But the brace was off and Blasingame was back practicing.

Meanwhile, Herbert was carted off at Saturday’s practice, but he was back one day later, which is great news for Chicago.

There wasn’t any mention of rookie running back Trestan Ebner, who didn’t practice Saturday after suffering an apparent injury in Thursday’s preseason game.

Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker, who impressed in his preseason debut on Aug. 13, has since missed practice and the team’s second preseason game with a right hand injury. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed Brisker had surgery on his thumb and the hope is he’s ready in time for Week 1.

The Bears lost rookie center Doug Kramer to what appears to be a Lisfranc injury, and he landed on injured reserve last week.

Chicago placed wide receiver David Moore on IR on Sunday, which ends his season. They signed fullback Jake Bargas in a corresponding roster move.

Center Lucas Patrick remains sidelined after suffering a broken thumb early on in training camp, and he’s expected back for the regular season opener.

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Bears place WR David Moore on IR, sign FB Jake Bargas

The Bears announced a couple of roster moves on Sunday, placing WR David Moore on IR and signing FB Jake Bargas.

The Chicago Bears have announced a couple of roster moves ahead of the second round of cuts on Tuesday.

The Bears have placed wide receiver David Moore on injured reserve, which ends his season with Chicago. The team signed fullback Jake Bargas in a corresponding roster move.

Moore was competing for a depth role in a pretty wide-open receiving room, and he was taking advantage of increased opportunities with injuries at wideout. But Moore suffered a lower leg injury during Family Fest on Aug. 9.

Bargas signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2020,  and he’s spent most of his career on the practice squad. Bargas was among the first round of roster cuts by Minnesota.

Starting fullback Khari Blasingame was spotted with a cast on his left arm during last Thursday’s preseason game agains the Seahawks. But Blasingame was back at practice Sunday without the brace.

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Bears injury updates following preseason win vs. Seahawks

The Bears avoided injuries to their starters, but there were some injury updates following Thursday’s preseason win vs. Seahawks.

The Chicago Bears defeated the Seattle Seahawks 27-11 in their second preseason game. But they didn’t escape without some injuries.

While Chicago avoided injuries to their starters, there were some notable players who were banged up on Thursday night. Rookie running back Trestan Ebner, who had 9 carries for 29 yards, suffered an ankle injury in the first half that sidelined him for the remainder of the game.

Linebacker Matt Adams, who’s competing for the starting SAM linebacker job, suffered a shoulder injury that also kept him out of the game. Linebacker Caleb Johnson (knee) was also sidelined.

There were also some apparent injuries near the end of the game as rookie cornerback Jaylon Jones and defensive end Charles Snowden went out with apparent injuries. But there weren’t any updates provided.

One injury that didn’t happen in the game but bears monitoring is fullback Khari Blasingame, who was spotted in a cast on the sideline.

While players who returned to practice made their preseason debuts, including tight end Cole Kmet, there were others who were held out Thursday. That includes running back David Montgomery, cornerback Kindle Vildor, defensive tackle Justin Jones and defensive lineman Mario Edwards. Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker was also held out with an undisclosed injury.

The Bears return to the practice field Saturday for their final open practice of training camp.

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7 standouts from Thursday’s Bears training camp practice

Here’s who stood out during Thursday’s non-padded Bears training camp practice.

The Chicago Bears held their final practice of the week on Thursday morning before they play in their preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. It was a lighter, non-padded practice for head coach Matt Eberflus’ squad, but plenty of players still stood out on both sides of the ball, with the offense looking sharp during the first half and the defense stepping up their play later on.

After taking in the practice from the endzone bleachers, here’s who stood out to me and made an impact on the field.

WATCH: Bears press conferences from 10th training camp practice

The Bears returned to Halas Hall for their 10th practice of training camp, where Alan Williams, Trevis Gipson and more met with the media.

The Chicago Bears returned to the practice field for a lighter, non-padded workout on Sunday. Unfortunately, practice was closed to fans and moved inside due to inclement weather.

There were plenty of storylines from Day 10, which included more developments along the offensive line and cornerback. Offensive tackle Teven Jenkins practiced more after being limited on Saturday, and the battle for the SAM linebacker role has come down to Matt Adams and Joe Thomas.

Here’s a look at the press conferences following the Bears’ 10th practice, which included defensive coordinator Alan Williams, defensive end Trevis Gipson, linebacker Matt Adams and fullback Khari Blasingame.

DC Alan Williams

DE Trevis Gipson

LB Matt Adams

FB Khari Blasingame

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10 under-the-radar Bears players to watch during training camp

While all eyes will be on some of the bigger names on the Bears roster, here are some under-the-radar players to watch in training camp.

The Chicago Bears kick off training camp in a couple of weeks, where there will be plenty of players fighting for a roster spot and looking to contribute in 2022.

There will no doubt be the big names everyone will be watching — including Justin Fields, David Montgomery, Darnell Mooney, Roquan Smith and Jaylon Johnson. Even top rookie selections Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker and Velus Jones Jr.

But there are a handful of players who also bear watching when Chicago kicks off camp — those players who will be competing for a roster spot and/or starting job.

While all eyes will be on some of the bigger names, here’s a list of some under-the-radar players to watch during training camp.

30 Most Important Bears of 2022: No. 21 Khari Blasingame

Our 30 Most Important Bears continues with Khari Blasingame, a new addition to the offense that could become the biggest asset in the run game.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2022 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.

Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 most important Bears for the 2022 season. We’ll recap their 2021 season, look ahead to 2022 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.

Coming up at No. 22 is fullback Khari Blasingame, a new addition to the offense that could become the biggest asset in the run game.

Bears 2022 training camp preview: Running backs

We’re previewing the Bears running backs ahead of training camp and examining the biggest question facing the group.

Chicago Bears training camp is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We have already evaluated the quarterbacks and now it’s time to turn our attention to the running backs, arguably the most stable position group on the offense. The top two backs from 2021 return for this season as David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert are expected to see the bulk of the carries. The team opted not to re-sign veteran Damien Williams and instead brought in Darrynton Evans from the Tennessee Titans. The Bears also drafted pass-catching back Trestan Ebner from Baylor to replace Tarik Cohen’s production and even added fullback Khari Blasingame, signaling a renewed commitment to the ground game.

The Bears are expected to establish a strong running attack under new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, led primarily by Montgomery and Herbert. But players like Evans and Ebner will have a chance to be solid contributors as well. Here is our preview of the running backs as we get ready for training camp:

PFF not high on Bears’ running backs room heading into 2022

Running back is certainly the strength of the Bears offense. But PFF isn’t high on the duo of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.

We don’t know a lot about the Bears new offense under Luke Getsy. But there are a couple of things we do know: Justin Fields will be on the move and it’ll be a run-heavy scheme featuring the tandem of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.

Pro Football Focus examined each of the NFL’s running backs rooms heading into the 2022 season. But they didn’t seem to have a lot of faith in the Montgomery and Herbert duo. They landed in the “gets the job done (good starter or good depth)” tier at 16th in the league.

This is the strength of Chicago’s offensive roster, which doesn’t speak super well to the talent put in place around Justin Fields. David Montgomery ranks in the 76th percentile among all qualifying backs in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt and the 85th percentile in missed tackles forced per reception across his first three NFL seasons. The Bears will be looking for him to get back to his 2020 level of play (80.2 PFF grade) next year. This past year’s draft selection Khalil Herbertshowed some promise as a rookie behind Montgomery. His 84.4 rushing grade led all rookies with at least 100 carries.

Montgomery is entering a contract year with the Bears, where he’s proven to be one of their most reliable weapons. Despite missing four games last season, Montgomery had 225 carries for 849 yards (3.8 YPC) and seven scores.

Herbert is coming off an encouraging rookie season, where he stepped in for four games in place of an injured Montgomery. From Weeks 5-8, Herbert rushed for 344 yards, never rushing for less than 72 yards during that span.

This offseason, the Bears added Darrynton Evans and rookie Trestan Ebner, along with fullback Khari Blasingame, where Chicago will be leaning on its run game to take some pressure off Fields.

PFF does acknowledge that running back is the strength of Chicago’s offense. So the fact that they’re ranked among the middle of the pack in that aspect isn’t reassuring for the offense’s expectations as a whole.

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