It began in January, when Bears general manager Ryan Pace acknowledged an interest in potentially signing running back Kareem Hunt. What has followed behind the scenes is the Bears diligently scouting and conducting background work on running backs in this draft class to potentially complete their backfield depth chart with three primary players -- Mike Davis, Tarik Cohen and a rookie.
While the Bears' intrigue in signing Hunt never became serious, they're exploring options in the draft class. The team hosted a number of projected mid-round running back prospects for visits at Halas Hall this week, a source said. Chicago brass also met with many of the running backs at the NFL Combine and intends to host pre-draft workouts for several running backs in Lake Forest.
The goal would be for the Bears to find their next feature back and a better fit for coach Matt Nagy's offense.
"When you're dealing with running backs for us in this offense, you want to be able to have a guy that has really good vision that can make guys miss," Nagy said at the NFL Combine. "At the same time, there's that balance of being a hybrid, being able to make things happen in the pass game, too, but yet to where you're not one-dimensional. And that's not easy."
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Where does this leave the 24-year-old Howard? He rushed for 2,435 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first two seasons, breaking the Bears' rookie rushing record in 2016 and earning a Pro Bowl selection. But he had a relatively disappointing first year in Nagy's offense, rushing for a career-low 935 yards and 3.7 yards per carry in 2018.
More specifically, as Nagy inadvertently explained at the NFL Combine, the Bears are seeking a multi-dimensional fit for his offense. That isn't Howard, who had 20 receptions last season but struggled as a route runner.
The Bears had discussions at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February about potentially trading Howard, ESPN reported. However, it's unclear what would happen if Chicago doesn't get the return it desires. Howard is due $2,025,000 in base salary for 2019 but could be released with only a minimal dead cap charge.
Despite the previous production of Howard -- who has rushed for 3,370 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons -- he's entering the final year of his rookie contract as the Bears appear to be making plans without him. This is no secret to the league's other 31 teams, who understand the Bears' desire to deal Howard.
With free-agent running backs being signed this week, the likelihood of the Bears receiving a quality return for Howard has only decreased. Chicago made its own move at running back by signing Davis to a two-year, $6-million deal, adding a player who could potentially take the majority of reps at running back in 2019 -- at least until the Bears feel comfortable with a rookie selected in the draft.
This draft class is deep with running back options on the second and third days. That's a benefit to the Bears, who own only five selections, their first coming at No. 87 overall in the third round. Kentucky's Benny Snell, Penn State's Miles Sanders and Florida Atlantic's Devin Singletary are among options in play, among others.
What the Bears hope to find is a multi-faceted threat for Nagy's offense who's their running back for this window of contention. It has become clear that isn't Howard, whose days with the team appear numbered.