10 Chicago Bears Tailback Options Not Named Matt Forte

I fully expect the Bears and Matt Forte to work out some kind of arrangement this winter to where Forte once again dons the blue and orange of the team. But what if things get contentious? 

In other words, if talks between the Bears and Forte get kind of rough, to where either Forte doesn't want to play or the Bears suddenly want to move in a new direction, there has to be a Plan B.

Look, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that Forte and his agent could come storming into GM Phil Emery's office and say "I don't want your lousy $8 million franchise tag. I'm holding out."

Now, as unlikely as that scenario is, it is hard to believe the Bears and Forte want to do this all over again next year. But what if Forte's demands are beyond what the Bears want to pay? Then, their choices are: 1) issue the tag two years in a row, or 2) trade Forte.

Meanwhile, if Forte leaves, the Bears will need a running back, especially in the new Mike Tice system. Tice likes to run the ball. Plus, call me crazy but I happen to believe NFL teams need at least one top back (sarcasm alert).

Forget about Arian Foster—he's a restricted free agent. But if the Bears had to replace Forte, they will need to consider all avenues, including the draft. And, of course, the following unrestricted free agents. 

Kahlil Bell

One option that I don't recommend is that the Bears could go with a combination of Kahlil Bell as the featured back and Marion Barber as the third down/goal line complementary back.

Hey, it's not so far-fetched. Bell has looked good at times, his fumbling tendencies notwithstanding. After all, he did average 4.3 yards per carry, with 337 yards in 79 attempts, to go along with three fumbles.

He also caught 19 passes with a touchdown.

Bell had his best rushing numbers in the NFL last Christmas against the Packers, when he racked up 121 yards rushing  for a 5.3 yards per carry average, although he also fumbled twice.

Bell just turned 25, so he is young too. It is not the option I would want, but it is an option.

Marion Barber

I like this option even less than the Bell option. Using Barber as a featured back is one idea, but it's not really a good one in my opinion.

Now if you forget about the Denver game for a moment, where Barber had his brain cramp and also fumbled in overtime, Barber actually did a decent job.

In fact, in that game, people forget that Barber had 108 yards rushing, a touchdown and another 32 yards receiving.

Unlike Chester Taylor in 2010, who had a historically awful season, Barber played the role of third down and red zone back very well.

Barber had 422 yards in 114 attempts, a 3.7 average. He had a 29-yard run against Tampa Bay, and averaged six yards or more rushing twice in 2011.

He will only turn 29 in June. But he has had a lot of punishment on his body, the way he runs. He gets injured a lot, so expecting him to be the featured back is just not logical.

You have to go back to 2009 with Dallas for the last time Barber has had to carry the load. And while he has come close twice, he has never had a 1,000-yard rushing season.

Michael Bush, Oakland Raiders

Bush, Oakland's leading rusher in 2011, wants to be a featured back and is an unrestricted free agent. But Darren McFadden is the Raiders' featured back, so he could be available if the Bears wanted to go the free agent route.

Again, I don't think any of this is going to happen—we are charged with the assignment of predicting what the Bears would do if Forte wasn't their running back in 2012.

The Raiders could use the franchise tag on Bush, but would you do that for a player who is not expected to be a starter? Not likely, even though they'd love to keep him around, especially since McFadden played only seven games with a foot injury.

Bush averaged just 3.8 yards per carry in 2011, not great, while he finished just short of 1,000 yards. But he did have seven touchdowns. He also caught 37 passes for 418 yards.

In short, he would not nearly be as good as Forte.

But hey, Bush can still help even if he isn't the Bears back in 2012. Perhaps Bush could talk to fellow free agent teammate Tyvon Branch, who would look good in a Bears uniform as a strong safety.

Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals

One interesting option that won't happen is Cedric Benson coming back to Chicago. Hey, don't laugh—he is an unrestricted free agent and, if he performed well, could give the Bears an opportunity to actually get something from their former first-round draft pick.

Last year Benson had 1,067 yards rushing in 273 attempts and a 3.9 yard average. He also fumbled five times and did not catch a lot of passes coming out of the backfield.

There is a good chance that Benson leaves Cincinnati, but he won't likely be coming back to Chicago.

Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns

The Browns are split on whether to bring back Hillis, but he is a huge (250 lb) back who would work better as a complementary back as opposed to being a featured back in my opinion.

But he is only 26, and while he played in only 10 games in 2011, averaging just 3.6 yards-per-carry, he had a terrific 2010 seas with 1,177 yards rushing with 11 touchdowns.

Hillis is also very good at catching balls coming out of the backfield, with 61 receptions as recently as 2010.

Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks

Lynch turns 26 in April, and is an unrestricted free agent. He is coming off a very productive 2011 season, with 1,204 yards rushing and a 4.2 yard-per-carry average and 12 touchdowns.

But prior to last year, Lynch hadn't had a full season since 2008. When healthy or not suspended, he has been productive, with at least 1,000 yards rushing in the three relatively full seasons.

In December, Lynch set the Seahawks franchise record for consecutive games with a rushing touchdown by scoring in his 10th straight game.

But if the Bears bring him to Chicago, they had better go out and get a large supply of Skittles.

Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

Rice is an outstanding back who, like Forte, is an unrestricted free agent. In fact, of all the UFAs, Rice is the only one who may be as good or better than Forte.

Rice just turned 25 and is coming off a 2011 season where he rushed for 1,364 yards with 12 touchdowns. It was his third consecutive season with at least 1,200 yards.

Rice is also tremendous as a receiver, having caught 76 passes for 704 yards. I can't imagine Rice being allowed to walk free, but if he is available, any team that needs a back would be crazy not to consider him, despite his demure stature (5'8").

Rice reportedly wants Adrian Peterson-type money, however.

Cadillac Williams

Williams may be a Cadillac, but as a running back he is more like a Kia. Not bad, but far from elite. He teased everyone with a 1,000-yard season as a rookie, but since then has either been injured or just not as good.

In fact, he didn't average four yards per carry from 2006-2010, until he finally crossed that mark in 2011 (4.1). He has caught as many as 46 passes in a season, also, though he had just 14 last year.

He turns 30 in April.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, New England Patriots

Green-Ellis averaged 3.7 yards per carry in 2011, with 667 yards rushing, but he had a 1,000-yard rushing season as recently as 2010 with a fine 4.4 average.

He has scored 24 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons, so he has been productive. But he has caught just 26 passes in his four-year NFL career.

Green-Ellis played in just 34.4 percent of the Patriots offensive snaps in 2011, so if he leaves, it won't be a kill shot for New England.

Could the "Law Firm" play for Chicago if Forte leaves? I would hope that wouldn't be the Bears replacement plan, but they could do worse I suppose.

Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers

Signing Grant would weaken a division rival, so there is that benefit. But expecting Grant to come in and replace Forte as the Bears featured back is a bit of a stretch given his injury history.

He had only in 134 rushing attempts last year, after missing almost all of 2010, but he did average 4.2 yards per carry, which is not bad.

He has had two seasons where he had more than 1,200 yards rushing, though he has never been the receiving threat that Forte has been.

An unrestricted free agent, Grant underwent ankle surgery after getting hurt in the 2010 season opener, and he missed the rest of the season.