Former Oregon State running backs Nall, Pierce reunite in Bears backfield

Former Oregon State teammates and current Bears running backs Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce are both on the 53-man roster this week.

The Bears pulled Pierce up from the practice squad following Tarik Cohen's season-ending ACL injury. Running backs David Montgomery and Cordarrelle Patterson will remain the top options at the position, but it won't be a surprise if Nall takes a few hand offs or if Pierce is out there Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

Nall and Pierce crossed paths for two years with the Beavers in 2016 and 2017. They roomed together during away games.

"That's my boy," Pierce said Wednesday. "(Nall) was like my big brother coming into college. Same thing here, he showed me the ropes. He showed me around Chicago, things like that, just to try and help me learn the playbook and show me around."

The Bears signed Pierce as an undrafted rookie in the spring. He had some moments in training camp, but ultimately was relegated to the practice squad.

Bears coach Matt Nagy called Pierce a fast learner.

"He's a kid that really came on and, early on for us, he did some really good things," Nagy said. "I think he's got really, really good vision, patience in the hole. We're continuing to keep working on his ball skills coming out of the backfield."

Neither Pierce nor Nall is going to step in and replace a player like Cohen, who was a Pro Bowl punt returner two years ago. Pierce might have a little bit more speed than Nall, but Nall has two years of pro experience.

Nall has just two carries in his NFL career and caught his first pass in Week 2 against the Giants. He has mostly been used as a special-teams player, which is an aspect of his game that his coaches rave about.

At Oregon State, neither back was used much in the passing game, which is something that Cohen did extensively in Nagy's offense. That might be one knock against the rookie Pierce.

"There's different things I've been working on, like moving my hands in different places, different positions catching the ball," Pierce said. "I really didn't run a lot of routes in college, just basic swing routes."

Pierce did play in the scrimmage at Soldier Field before the season, and earned some reps against the first-team defense. He said that experience will help him prepare for Sunday.

Part of the reason Pierce is in Chicago is because of Nall. They spent plenty of time together in the Oregon State running backs meetings, and in hotel rooms across the Pac-12.

"I got to know A.P. really well," Nall said before the season. "I actually helped with his decision coming here in free agency. I love the kid. He plays hard. He's smart. He's a good kid. I love that. It doesn't matter what the situation is, he's going to give you 100%. I'm glad that he's here."

Kicker update

Nagy didn't sound optimistic that kicker Eddy Pineiro would be ready to come off injured reserve this week. Pineiro, who is dealing with a groin injury, is eligible to return to the active roster after a three-week stint on injured reserve.

"I don't have a definitive answer for you right now, but I think things are definitely getting better," Nagy said. "I just don't know (if it's) good enough for this week yet."

Cairo Santos has kicked in all three of the Bears' games thus far.