Rookie Running Back Swap: Bears Sign Joshua Rounds, Waive Joel Bouagnon

Jordan Howard is sitting pretty atop the Chicago Bears running back depth chart, but competition for playing time below him bubbles underneath.

And a new member of the backfield is in the mix:

The Bears have waived rookie RB Joel Bouagnon and signed free agent RB Joshua Rounds.

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 3, 2017

The Bears signed undrafted rookie running back Joshua Rounds, waiving undrafted free agent Joel Bouagnon to make room for him on the roster. Rounds rushed for 758 yards and seven touchdowns on 125 carries as a senior at Tulane last season, which adds up to an impressive per carry average of 6.1 yards. His season-best showing came when he rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against Tulsa on Oct. 22. Rounds was one of three Tulane players invited to rookie mini-camps in spring.

Bouagnon was an undrafted free agent from Northern Illinois University, where he rushed for 2,911 yards and 31 touchdowns over the span of four years for the Huskies.

The need for a healthy rusher in the backfield seems necessary, considering Jeremy Langford’s nagging ankle injury.