Chicago Bears have plenty of confidence in Langford, Carey
INDIANAPOLIS - When veteran running back Matt Forte was informed two weeks ago that the Bears would not be bidding for his services when free agency begins March 9, it was because of the team's faith in its young backups and respect for the second-leading rusher in franchise history.
"First of all, it's the confidence we have in our younger backs," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "But also, with Matt, it's treating him with the respect he deserves. I look at this like a lot of other great Bear players like (Charles) Tillman or (Lance) Briggs. You treat them with respect. I think that meant handling that with urgency and, once we made the decision, telling Matt as soon as possible."
Coach John Fox has seen enough from the young backups, Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey, who were both fourth-round picks, to have confidence in the team's ability to run the ball.
"Those guys earned that," Fox said. "We made that (Forte) decision because we have great confidence in our young backs. What that workload is, or what that definition of their role is, will be up to them and how they perform and how they prepare and what they put on the field when we start work."
Forte rushed for 898 yards on 218 carries (4.1-yard average) last season, the lowest total of his eight-year career. He also turned 30 late in the season, an age at which the production of most running backs drops precipitously.
Langford rushed for 537 yards on 148 carries (3.6-yard) average as a rookie and flashed his big-play ability by averaging 12.7 yards on 22 receptions. Carey picked up 159 yards on 43 carries and was occasionally used in short-yardage situations.
How the work is divided and the responsibilities of each player might not shake out until the preseason. But Langford is expected to get the majority of the carries and running back receptions next season based on his rookie production.
"(It's) just his steady progress," Pace said. "We still feel he's an ascending player. I have a lot of confidence in his physical ability, his speed, his vision, his acceleration, and I feel he's going to get a lot better going forward."
Despite limited touches, there was a lot about the tough, 5-foot-10, 207-pound Carey that impressed Fox, who's rarely effusive in praise of individuals.
"(It's) the way he carries his pads," the Bears' coach said. "Sometimes a lot gets put into height, weight, speed, 40 (time), and a lot of times, it's hard to measure what's behind that left nipple and between your ears.
"He's a guy that, after contact, is pretty special. I enjoy watching him run, even looking at some (film) cut-ups recently, there were a few of those, a couple in St. Louis, that I recall."
Pace is confident that more opportunities will help both young running backs be more productive.
"(Running backs coach) Stan Drayton has done a great job with that position group," Pace said. "That's huge for the health of a franchise - developing your younger players. Sometimes that involves some tough decisions along the way. But I'm happy with those guys. That doesn't mean we can't still add to that group, but right now we feel good about it."
Consideration was given to bring Forte back at a reduced salary from the $7.05 million base salary he made last season ($9.2 million cap number). But ultimately the Bears know Forte will be able to get much more money from another team than they could afford to pay him to share time with Langford and Carey.
"We met with (Forte) after the season," Pace said. "And I promised him, 'When we come to a decision, we're going to tell you as soon as possible for you and your agent (Adisa Bakari),' and that's how it played out."
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