Former Denver Broncos head coach John Fox is in the middle of a firesale in Chicago.
First and foremost: The Bears are bad at football. Sitting at 0-3 and coming off an embarrassing 26-0 loss in Seattle where they punted on literally every possession, G.M. Ryan Pace is in full on sell mode. Defensive studs Jared Allen and Jon Bostic have both been moved for sixth round picks and now it sounds like almost everyone on the roster can be had if the price is right.
And who’s the most tempting piece left in Chicago? Probably running back Matt Forte who will be a free agent after this season. Forte has rushed for 267 yards and a touchdown this year in the inept Bears offense, but more impressive are his career accomplishments. Forte was a Pro Bowler in 2011 and 2013, has 42 career rushing touchdowns and another 16 TDs in the passing game. He’s totaled nearly 12,000 yards in a career that’s barely eight years old.
On the other side of the coin Denver’s running backs have been awful in 2015. C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman have rushed for a combined 162 yards while averaging a paltry 2.7 yards per carry. The running game has been virtually non-existent for the Broncos.
So, does acquiring Forte seem like something Denver should explore?
Yes.
According to Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk, Denver is on the short list of teams that makes sense. Tuesday night on NBCSN Florio said the following: “What a perfect match that would be. Wouldn’t that Broncos offense be a heckuva lot better if you put Matt Forte in there for Peyton Manning to give the ball to from time to time?”
Florio suggested John Elway should call the guy he fired John Fox and see what they could get done.
Also, Mile High Sports‘ own Eric Goodman and Zach Fogg discussed this very situation yesterday on Afternoon Drive. Kudos to Goodman and Fogg for being onto something that could develop very quickly.
Right now Forte to the Broncos seems to be sheer speculation, but at the same time, where there’s smoke there’s generally fire. Florio wouldn’t be suggesting this unless he had heard something linking Denver and Forte. John Elway has also never been afraid of the big move.
Keep an eye out on this one — it’d likely take a third or fourth round pick to land Forte.
Might John Elway pull that trigger he likes to talk about so much? Stay tuned.