Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy might give running back Kareem Hunt the second chance he needs to return to the National Football League.
Kareem Hunt is not where he should be.
Instead of leading the Kansas City Chiefs rushing attack deep into the playoffs, Hunt is sitting at home likely wondering what might have been. He is, of course, responsible for his own undoing—a reality he’s accepted and admitted—and it’s unknown when he might be allowed back into the National Football League to continue his football career.
Over a month after a video surfaced of his involvement in an assault from last February, Hunt has now missed five weeks of regular season games and the entirety of the playoffs. The NFL placed him on the Commissioner Exempt list, which will keep any team from being able to play him even if they’d claimed him (which they did not after his release from Kansas City). Looking ahead, Hunt has good reason to believe he will eventually be allowed back but any guaranteed timeline is simply not available.
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When he is given the green light, the Chicago Bears will be one place willing to at least entertain the thought of bringing in Hunt. Bears head coach Matt Nagy is very familiar with Hunt having served as his offensive coordinator during his record-setting rookie season—a year in which Hunt became the sixth rookie to ever lead the NFL in rushing yards (1,327).
Nagy was asked about whether or not he’d spoken with Hunt since he was suspended and Nagy went into great detail, saying he had but that he was only checking in on him as a person and not for any business reasons.
"“I talked to Kareem, completely wanting to know how he’s doing,” Nagy said. “We had a good conversation. Here’s a kid that I spent a year coaching on offense. It’s a tough situation. I wanted to see … making sure that he’s OK but understanding, too, the situation that happened is unfortunate for everybody. He knows that.“The only thing I cared about when I talked to him was literally his personal life, how he’s doing. It was a good conversation. He sounded good. But that’s it. The other stuff, that’s not where it’s at. There’s more to it than the football, so we talked strictly on that.”"
Hunt entered the NFL with the Chiefs as their third-round choice out of Toledo in the 2017 draft, the same class that included Patrick Mahomes. Hunt was an instant star from Week 1 when he had 246 yards from scrimmage in a season-opening surprise win over the New England Patriots. His three-touchdown performance in primetime earned him a Sports Illustrated cover and made him a household name.
From there, Hunt never slowed down. He led the league in rushing, as previously mentioned, and stormed into 2018 the same way. Hunt was on pace for another 1,750 yards from scrimmage through 11 games and turned it up when it counted most—such as his 185-yard performance, once again against the Patriots, in a close Week 4 loss.
While the NFL currently has exempted him from play, the reality is that any official suspension handed down is likely to run around six to eight games overall. Hunt has already served five of those games, which means any team that signs him might be able to play him soon (or even immediately if the player is able to appeal successfully).
For the Bears, the addition of a motivated Hunt could kickstart an offense that’s already starting to flourish under Nagy’s watch. Mitchell Trubisky would love to have such a potent back in the backfield, especially given how good he is as a pass catcher. Hunt is a well-rounded back who is a very capable blocker and is especially difficult to bring down with his blend of balance and strength.
Jordan Howard is the Bear’s feature back at this point, but his performance has waned in consecutive years. From his rookie year when he averaged 5.2 yards per carry to last season when he averaged 4.1 yards, Howard had already raised red flags. This year, the numbers were worse with an average of 3.7 yards/rush. That’s simply unacceptable as the team’s bell cow.
Hunt would most certainly represent a step forward for the Bears in terms of ability and talent in the backfield, and he would also come cheaply since he’s not in any position to make significant financial demands. He also already knows Nagy’s offense, and playing in Chicago keeps him from having to face his demons in K.C., at least for a bit.
Other teams will certainly be interested, but Hunt makes a lot of sense in Chicago. The fit, the need, the finances and the openness on the part of team leadership are all important facets that seem to be in place.