Bears Could Be An Option For Darren Sproles?

 

Report from Friday indicated that the New Orleans Saints will be releasing veteran RB Darren Sproles in the coming days if they are unable to find a trade partner for him, Sproles posted a goodbye on Twitter Friday night that implies a move should be announced shortly.

According to Dan Pompei of the Bleacher Report, Sproles would be an “outstanding fit” for the Chicago Bears.

• Pompei mentions that Sproles would be able to step in and replace Devin Hester as their kick returner next while also giving them an option out of the backfield.
• Pompei adds that Marc Trestman should be able to find some creative ways to exploit Sproles’ skill set, and he is already familiar with their offensive system given that offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer was with the Saints before signing on with Chicago.

There are a few concerns with this idea, however. Sproles is currently 30-years-old and could be in for a decent market, should he in fact be released.

As things stand right now, the Bears should have around $9 million in cap space available to them, so unless they intend to reduce Julius Peppers‘ cap figure, it could be hard for them to compete with other cap-rich teams for Sproles.

On top of that, Pompei mentions that signing a backup running back isn’t exactly at the top of their list of needs.

Last year, Sproles ran for 220 yards on 53 carries (4.2 YPC) while also contributing another 604 receiving yards on 71 receptions. He added four total touchdowns as well.