Running back Travis Homer is heading into Year 2 of his contract with the Chicago Bears, but he could see his spot on the roster taken by an undrafted rookie — particularly if the team wants to save some cash.
Homer, 25, singed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Bears last offseason, but
Bleacher Report’s Kris Knox named the veteran RB a logical cut the team could make to free up cap space.
“Releasing running back Travis Homer could be a much cleaner route to a little more cap room. While Homer does provide special-teams value, he doesn’t offer a lot offensively, and Chicago isn’t short on running back options,” Knox wrote on May 20, adding:
“An undrafted rookie like Ian Wheeler or John Jackson III could probably replace Homer on special teams. Releasing him would save $1.9 million in cap space.”
Cut Candidate Travis Homer’s Role With Bears Has Been on Special Teams
Homer appeared in 16 games for Chicago last season, with the vast majority of his snaps coming on special teams (he played just 1% of Chicago’s offensive snaps in 2023). He played 61% of the team’s special teams snaps, finishing with 7 total tackles.
A sixth-round selection for the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, the 5-foot-10, 202-pound Homer has never finished with more than 25 carries in any of his five seasons in the league.
In his four-year tenure with the Seahawks, Homer played in 49 games (two starts) and amassed 453 yards and a touchdown on 83 carries (5.5 yards per carry). He has largely been a role player over his career, and one the Bears didn’t utilize much.
Considering the Bears didn’t incorporate Homer into their offensive game plan at all last year, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were cut before the start of the 2024 regular season.
Bears ‘RBs Room Looking Promising Heading Into 2024 Campaign
With Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson toting the rock, the Bears had the second-best rushing attack in the NFL last year, netting 141.1 yards per game on the ground. Both Herbert and Johnson will be back in 2024, but Foreman, who signed a deal with the Cleveland Browns this offseason, won’t.
Foreman has been replaced by former Philadelphia Eagles starting running back D’Andre Swift, who rushed for 1,049 yards and five TDs last year, averaging a solid 4.6 yards per carry.
Foreman had 425 yards and four rushing scores on 109 carries, averaging 3.9 yards per carry in a reserve role. Swift promises to be a more productive runner, while also potentially providing a playmaking receiving target for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
“It’s a great running back room,” Swift said in March after signing with the Bears. “I was real familiar with it before I got here. A lot of talent in the running back room. However it play out, I don’t expect anything coming into it. I’m going to come here and work and earn whatever role that they have for me.”
The Bears also have fullback Khari Blasingame on the roster, so they have a bevy of backfield talent should they choose to let Homer walk.
John Jackson III in particular is a player to watch for the Bears as training camp approaches. A close friend of Williams, Jackson we’ll have an opportunity to carve out a role for himself, and if he can emerge on special teams, Homer could absolutely get his walking papers.
