By PFW staff
June 9, 2008

Cedric Benson

As had been widely predicted, Cedric Benson’s latest arrest turned out to be his last straw with the Bears. Benson, the fourth overall selection in the 2005 draft, was released Monday, hot on the heels of his arrest on a drunken-driving charge in the wee hours this past Saturday morning in Austin, Texas. A month earlier, Benson was charged with boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest, also in Austin.

“Cedric displayed a pattern of behavior we will not tolerate,” said Bears GM Jerry Angelo after Benson had issued a public apology earlier today for his latest arrest. “As I said this past weekend, you have to protect your job.” Benson showed up at Monday’s OTA but was sent home by Bears head coach Lovie Smith, who recently had indicated that the Bears’ starting RB job was Benson’s to lose.

The PFW spin

With Benson sent packing, the focus in the Bears’ running game shifts directly to second-round draft pick Matt Forté, who many close to the team had predicted would replace Benson as the starting running back before the summer ran its course. Needless to say, the need to get Forté’s signature on his first pro contract now becomes much more of a priority.

At the Bears’ weekend fanfest at Soldier Field, offensive coordinator Ron Turner gushed over the progress that is being made by Forté, who he said will “definitely be an every-down back” at the pro level before too long. It now appears Forté will get the chance by default, with fellow Bears RBs Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe considered better-suited as role players in the Bears’ offensive scheme.

It also now appears that the Bears will need to bolster their RB corps with some new blood. Possibilities include seasoned veteran backs such as Shaun Alexander, Mike Anderson, LaMont Jordan and Kevin Jones. Jones is coming off ACL surgery and is scheduled for an audition for interested teams at the end of the month.

As for Benson, the likelihood that the league will slap him with a suspension will lessen his market value in the eyes of other teams. Yet, within an hour of his release, teams known for taking chances with character risks — such as the Broncos, Texans, Cowboys and Raiders — were being mentioned as possible landing spots for the embattled running back.