Artavis

Pierce

A second-year UDFA, Pierce was part of the Bears’ hugely-underwhelming backup situation last season. With Damien Williams now aboard behind David Montgomery, both Pierce and Ryan were sent packing at final cuts. Pierce will presumably be in the mix for a practice squad spot.

Pierce will take Tarik Cohen’s (knee, injured reserve) roster spot. An UDFA out of Oregon State, Pierce is capable of playing all three downs. It’s an extremely thin backfield, with only Ryan Nall behind David Montgomery. Pierce should be kept on watch lists in the event of a Montgomery injury.

Pierce was dubbed a potential fill-in for the injured David Montgomery, but the Bears are going another direction with Tarik Cohen, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Ryan Nall as Week 1 options. Pierce was a committee back at Oregon State, albeit an efficient one (6.0 YPC). He likely ends up on a practice squad.

The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs called Pierce “the most traditional running back” on a Montgomery-less Bears roster, as Tarik Cohen is a pass catching specialist and Cordarrelle Patterson is a converted receiver who doesn’t run between the tackles. Pierce is an undrafted rookie out of Oregon State, where he averaged six yards per carry last year on 146 attempts. An NFL scout told Biggs that Pierce “might really fit what they are doing there because when you look at the Oregon State system, they were heavy inside zone, a little outside zone, but they were a zone-based run game.” Still, Pierce won’t be draftable outside the deepest fantasy leagues.