The Chicago Bears have scheduled a Saturday workout for former Houston Texans running Steve Slaton in the wake of news that Matt Forte suffered a high ankle sprain during the team's 23-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. The report of Slaton's scheduled workout comes via Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune. The Bears will use Michael Bush as the primary running back during any games where Forte is unable play, but the lack of depth behind Bush is worrisome. Unproven RB Lorenzo Booker beat out Armando Allen during the preseason in the competition for the No. 3 RB on the roster, but Booker was later placed on injured reserve with a head injury and Allen is back as the current third option. A team with playoff aspirations can't afford to gamble on Allen if anything should happen to Bush while Forte is out.
Slaton burst onto the NFL scene as a member of the Texans during his rookie season in 2008, when he rushed for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 377 receiving yards and another score. Since that spectacular season, Slaton struggled to stay on the field and got phased out in Houston when Arian Foster rose to prominence. The Dolphins released Slaton -- who is just 26 years old -- on Sept. 1 before the start of the current season.
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