With D’Onta Foreman and Khalil Herbert battling for the lion’s share of carries in the Bears’ backfield and the Bears smitten with fourth-round rookie Roschon Johnson, second-year running back Trestan Ebner entered training camp on the roster bubble.
But Ebner can’t be counted out yet. The 2022 sixth-round draft pick out of Baylor showed off his 4.43 speed in the 40 with a 70-yard touchdown that was as legit as any long run can be in practices where ball carriers are not tackled.
“Every now and then you forget how fast he is until you see him open up,” Herbert said. “He did his job and made somebody miss. Once he sees daylight, good luck catching him.”
Ebner made a good impression in camp as a rookie last season — he gained 27 yards on his second touch in the NFL against the Chiefs in the preseason. He shared backfield duties with Herbert against the Texans and Giants in Weeks 3-4 last year after David Montgomery suffered an injury against the Texans, rushing 13 times for 43 yards (3.3 average). He had 24 carries for 54 yards in 17 games, playing mostly on special teams.
With Khari Blasingame a likely keeper as a fullback, the 5-11, 206-pound Ebener figures to be competing with veteran Travis Homer for the final running back spot. So far, he’s making the most of his opportunities.
“He had a couple of nice runs in the red zone [Sunday] at Family Fest. He made a couple of nice cuts,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “His vision is improving because he knows the scheme. He knows where he’s supposed to be running the ball … where he’s supposed to be looking. I think coach [David] Walker’s done a really good job with that whole group.”
