Why Bears Could Use a Man Like Saquon Barkley

Analysis: Why the idea of Saquon Barkley to the Bears isn't quite the fool's dream it was last offseason.

Last year during the run up to free agency, the thought of signing Giants running back Saquan Barkley seemed to light a fire under some Bears fans.

The thinking was Justin Fields and Barkley as runners in the same backfield would split the attention of defenses and make big chunks of yardage easier to get on the ground.

It never happened as the Giants eventually signed Barkley to a one-year, $11 milion contract. The $11 million seems a pittance for so valuable an offensive weapon, but such is the life of running backs in a totally depressed market.

A season later, Barkley is to be a free agent again.

"I really don't want to get to much into it because I don't want to feel like I'm saying good-bye because, to be honest, a lot of this stuff is out of my control but I feel like I've got a lot left in the tank," Barkley told USA Today. "I feel like everything I want to accomplish in my career is still out there and I want to compete. I want to comepte. I want to win some Super Bowls, I want some championships. Those are definitely goals of mine to add in the later parts of my career, hoepfully coming up next year."

The fact he could be a free agent hasn't escaped everyone. Pro Football Focus on Tuesday posted a list of projected most likely landing spots for him. Right there in second behind his current team is the Chicago Bears.

There are numerous reasons this idea seems like complete fiction.

Iussues Weighing Against It

For one, GM Ryan Poles came from the Chiefs, where the policy was and is to treat running backs like disposable players. Poles hasn't extended the contract of a running back yet, and Khalil Herbert's deal ends in March of 2025 so the Bears GM will get a chance to change this trend.

Who should sign Saquon Barkley this offseason? pic.twitter.com/fOnDtTUnwX

— PFF (@PFF) January 23, 2024

The Bears didn't get David Montgomery a new contract when they had the chance. They seem to prefer backs on their first contract. There is merit to this as the ball carriers haven't been beat up yet when they're younger. There is only so much tread on the tires, so to speak.

Their backfield makeup looks solid with Herbert and with second-year back Roschon Johnson returning after a solid rookie season. Johnson showed real versatility. He caught passes, blocked and ran when called upon. He made just 81 attempts as a rookie for 352 yards, a solid 4.3-yard average. If anything, it said he should have had even more carries.

Considering this, having two backs going forward with a rookie back coming in to take the third role, possibly a speed running back along the lines of Jahmyr Gibbs with the Lions would be a potential benefit.

Considering new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron had an entirely balanced offense and the Seahawks sat in the middle of the standings for pass attempts, the Bears will likely move away this run-heavy attack they had under Luke Getsy. They finished 32nd and 28th in passing attempts but now the rush total will decrease and all the backs won't be as necessary.

Also, last year with four backs, they had to sit Foreman out inactive because there wasn't enough of a role for him. He wasn't going to play special teams and Travis Homer was one of their better special teams players, so they needed him active.

The last reason Barkley seems a non-fit is his productivity.

He's been barely over 4.0 yards a carry over the last four seasons.

On the other hand...

The Bears could very well draft Caleb Williams and play a rookie quarterback.

What could be better than to pair Williams up in the backfield with someone who has 1,489 career touches and the experience of 74 NFL games played, more than their other top two backs combined.

One trait Barkley brings to the backfield that Williams can really use is his pass blocking. This wasn't the case early in his career, but Barkley has stepped up in this regard since Brian Daboll became Giants coach. Barkley has pass-blocking grades from Pro Football Focus of 76.6 and 75.5 the past two years, which is outstanding. He had 183 pass blocking opportunities and allowed three sacks with 12 pressures per PFF figures.

Herbert was better than expected at this but still not close to being this effective. Johnson was supposed to count this as a strength and was at 64.8, still not close to Johnson.

Barkley has been greatly involved as a receiver over the last three years for the Giants and although the backs didn't have a big role in Waldron's offense as receivers, they at least had to provide help now and then. Again, Johnson does a respectable job here but isn't at Barkley's level.

Timing Is Better

If the Bears ever wanted to add a veteran back who could do for them what Christian McCaffrey does for the 49ers and contribute in multiple ways, this is the time. His cost would be $11 million a year according to Pro Football Focus, but only $6.6 million a year according to Spotrac.com. Either way, the Bears are sitting in a position where they could afford a deal like this for a few years because with Williams they would have a QB on his first contract. They could be around $58 million in cap space when they're done with potential cap cuts.

Williams is very mobile and athletic but nothing close to Justin Fields. He'll move to throw and requires better blocking than Fields, who would be out of the pocket and running up the field.

When a team has the top pick in the draft, with an arm like Williams has, there's plenty of merit to putting him in the backfield with a veteran who knows what he's doing.

It's an issue worth debating this season, unlike last year when the Giants had decided to keep Barkley.

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