A mere day before their third scheduled preseason game against the Giants, the Chicago Bears waived tailback Kahlil Bell on Thursday afternoon after three years with the organization.
Bell ran for a career-high 337 yards last season in an expanded role while starter Matt Forte dealt with injuries, and looked to be developing into a valuable asset for the organization heading into the year. But as a 5'11", 219-lb. power back with limited speed for the position, Bell was ultimately displaced by offseason acquisition Michael Bush as the team's most valuable interior and goal-line runner.
Timing a surprise RT
— Kevin Seifert (@espn_nfcnblog) August 23, 2012@chicagobears: LM:#Bears have waived RB Kahlil Bell.
The 25-year-old back actually led the Bears in carries after two preseason games with 16 rushes for 47 yards (2.9 avg.), but never once broke a run longer than 10 yards. Chicago will now feature just two other running backs on its roster in addition to Forte and Bush, as Lorenzo Booker and Armando Allen will each likely avoid the axe now that Bell has been cut loose.
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