Bears

Bears Worked Out Three Running Backs

September 21, 2021

According to Aaron Wilson, the Bears brought in running backs Brian Hill, Wendell Smallwood, and Chris Thompson on Tuesday.

Thompson, 30, is a former fifth-round pick of Washington back in 2013. He was unfortunately waived at the start of the 2014 season but re-signed to their practice squad soon after.

Washington brought Thompson back on a second-round restricted tender in 2017 before signing him to a two-year extension at the start of the 2017 regular season. From there, he signed a one-year deal with the Jaguars in May of last year but finished the season on the injured reserve.

In 2020, Thompson appeared in eight games for the Jaguars and rushed for 20 yards on seven carries to go along with 20 receptions for 146 yards receiving and one touchdown.

Smallwood, 27, is a former fifth-round pick by the Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft out of West Virginia. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $2,584,578 rookie contract and set to earn a base salary of $720,000 last year when the Eagles waived him coming out of the preseason.

Smallwood was claimed off waivers by Washington and spent the rest of the year with the team. He signed a one-year deal with the Steelers last year but was cut coming out of camp and re-signed to the practice squad before being released in January.

In 2019, Smallwood appeared in 15 games for Washington and recorded 22 carries for 81 yards (3.7 YPC). He also caught nine passes for 64 yards and didn’t score a touchdown.

Hill, 25, is a former fifth-round by the Falcons in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Wyoming. He signed a four-year, $2.66 million contract but was added to their practice squad during his rookie season.

The Bengals signed him off Atlanta’s taxi squad in 2017 but he was cut loose the following preseason. He returned to the Falcons the following years and played out the 2020 season under a restricted tender.

The Titans signed him to a one-year deal back in May but was among their final roster cuts coming out of the preseason.

In 2020, Hill appeared in all 16 games for the Falcons and rushed for 465 yards on 100 carries (4.7 YPC) to go along with 25 receptions for 199 yards receiving and one touchdown.