Chicago Bears: 5 free agents to sign in order to win in 2020

4. Carlos Hyde

One of the biggest drop-offs from the 2018 Bears to the 2019 Bears was the lack of production in the running game. This was evident in the first half of 2019. Jordan Howard and Tariq Cohen proved to be a solid one-two punch in 2018. However, the Bears decided to trade away Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles and their offense wasn’t the same in 2019.

The Bears could rectify their running back situation by signing Carlos Hyde. Adding Hyde gives the Bears competition at that spot. He would battle second-year running back David Montgomery. As for Cohen, he could do other things such as line up at wide receiver and serve as a third-down running back.

Mainly, the Bears need Hyde to determine if he should be their No. 1 running threat. A competition could bring out the best in Montgomery so there’s a win-win scenario. Either way, the Bears need to find a way to strengthen their running game so it is as strong as it was in 2018. In doing so, it can open up play-action for this squad and give Matt Nagy room to dial-up creative plays.

The addition of Hyde would strengthen the Bears running back room and possibly open up their playbook.