Pick #4: Chicago Bears select RB Cedric Benson of TexasQuarterbacks on the 2004 season roster: Chad Hutchinson, Craig Krenzel, Rex Grossman, Jonathan Quinn
Like most teams with one of the first few picks in the draft, the Chicago Bears had many needs to fill following a disappointing 2004 season. The team was dead last in passing offense and 25th in rushing offense, which accounted for the reason that they were also last in scoring. Defensively they fared much better, having the 13th strongest defense in the league.
Drafting a quarterback wasn't a high priority, as they had selected Rex Grossman with the twenty-second overall pick in the 2003 Draft. Seeing as though Grossman had injury problems in his first two seasons (and got little help from other backup quarterbacks on the roster), the Bears did end up drafting a quarterback in the 2005 draft, selecting Kyle Orton out of Purdue. It was more of an insurance policy at the position, but it would end up being a very valuable pick to the team.
In the 2004 offseason the Bears picked up former Arizona and Tampa Bay running back Thomas Jones via free agency, and in his first season was their leading rusher and receiver. Jones didn't rush over 1,000 yards that season, however, and it was uncertain if he would ever become an elite running threat. With that mindset, the Bears in the 2005 draft decided to select Cedric Benson out of Texas.
Benson had an amazing career with the Longhorns, rushing for 5,540 yards during his four year run. At the time his rushing totals was the sixth most all-time in NCAA Division 1 history. At 5' 1" and over 220 lbs., Benson was a speedy but punishing running back, a style of runner that would fit well with the harsh conditions in Chicago.
His tenure with the team got off to a rocky start, as he held out for big bucks with his first contract with the team. His holdout caused him to miss all of training camp, and because he was behind in learning the Bears' offensive system the team went with Thomas Jones as their starter.
Through the rest of the 2005 season, Jones continued to be the starter, as he had impressed the Bears coaching staff. Benson's playing time was limited, and at the latter part of the season he he suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain, ending his year.
With contract issues popping up between the Bears and Thomas Jones during the 2006 offseason, Benson was poised to take over the starting role, but during routine drills Benson injured his shoulder, causing him to miss most of the preaseason. Jones reemerged as the team's starting running back, leading the team in rushing during their Super Bowl run. Benson was the second option at running back, collecting impressive yardage, but still playing second fiddle to Jones and had another year plagued with injuries.
Even though Jones led the team in rushing and was a leader in the locker room, contract issues became too much of an issue between him and the team and in the 2007 offseason the Bears traded Jones to the New York Jets and decided to keep Benson as their starting running back. The move was a very unpopular one, and with Jones finding new success in New York while Benson struggled to live up to expectations and avoid the injury bug.
Benson also ran into troubles with the law, having been booked for driving under the influence on multiple occasions. His legal woes, lack of production, injuries and bad chemistry with the Bears' upper brass resulted in him to be waived from the squad.
Benson would find success with the Cincinnati Bengals the following season and is still their starting running back. While he has proven successful with his new team, it is fair to say that the Cedric Benson experiment in Chicago was ultimately a failure.
