NFL Week 8 Practice Squad Power Rankings Kerrith Whyte can inject life into Chicago Bears running game

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The need to start an offensive makeover as much as Fiona Gallagher needed to leave the South Side.And, yes, I'm about to write this in 2019 -- it involves running the football more. Oh and potentially using a back currently residing on the -- you gue sed it -- PRACTICE SQUAD. Before I give you more than you realized you needed to know about Kerrith Whyte, let's chat for a minute about the Bears offense.Analytics say to pa s the ball way more than you run it, but Chicago's head coach Matt Nagy has gone a little too far with the idea, especially given the team's quarterback situation. attempted 54 pa ses to just seven -- yes, as in the number after six -- runs in Chicago's embarra sing home lo s to the in Week 7. Before the bye, the Bears had backup attempt 30 pa ses to just 16 non-quarterback rushing attempts in the, at the time, surprising defeat at the hands of the Oakland Raiders in London. Factoring in pa ses, his rushes and sacks, every Trubisky drop back has currently equated to, on average, just 4.57 yards, a figure higher only than , , and among qualifying quarterbacks. Yikes. Chicago sits at sixth in the NFL with a 65.2% pa s rate, but it's not as if the club's running backs and offensive line are making it plainly obvious that Nagy needs to call more runs. Rookie averages 3.3 yards per carry. averages 2.4. Waterbug ? 2.3. Woof. You don't need plug a formula into a Google Spreadsheet to see that Trubisky drop backs have been a touch more efficient than handing off the football for Chicago, but the team with the No. 6 has to be smarter with its pa s Jimmy Graham Jersey -run splits. And for as much as the Trubisky-led aerial attack needs to be invigorated, the ground game needs a boost of energy too.And on the practice squad sits Whyte, a 5-foot-10, 197-pound firecracker of a back ready to explode. His pre-draft grade landed him at the on my Top 200 Big Board for the 2019 cla s. After averaging 6.4 yards per carry as backup at Florida Atlantic in 2017 and 2018, Whyte , and despite below-average times in the agility drills, his 42-inch vertical and 132-inch broad jump -- both of which are pretty hard to fudge at a pro day -- would've been the best at the running back spot at the combine. Practice squad running backs rarely get The Call without an injury to someone at the position, but things are so dire in Chicago, Nagy might Andre Johnson Jersey want to give Whyte an opportunity to inject some life into the Bears' offense. And like Fiona's much-deserved opportunity to get a new lease on life, the Bears get a much easier test in Week 8 against the Chargers than the one they faced against the Saints in Week 7.These rankings will be updated throughout the season, as more players move onto practice squads while some get The Call. 1. Robert Davis, WR, Davis re-a sumes the top spot after catching one pa s for 11 yards in Week 4 for the before being cut, not getting re-signed to Washington's practice squad then getting added by the Eagles' savvy decision-makers. With still ailing, not producing at a high rate, and inconsistent play from , Davis has a decent chance to eventually get the call-up in Philly. 2. Kyle Sloter, QB, In the preseason, the 6-foot-5, 217-pound former undrafted free agent quarterback from Northern Colorado completed 76.5% of his throws at a hefty 8.7 yards per attempt with four touchdowns and one interception. He flashed plenty of velocity of his throws -- especially at the intermediate levels -- good pocket patience, and impre sive throw-on-the-run ability in the ' play-action, bootleg heavy attack. Last preseason, his completion percentage was 73.0, and he threw four touchdowns without a pick.3. Adrian Colbert, S, Colbert boasts a rather impre sive pedigree for a practice squad player, for a few reasons. First off, he was a four-star recruit and the . He enrolled at Texas, played there for three seasons and made a minimal impact.He grad transferred to Miami for his redshirt senior year and tallied three pa s breakups and a pick in seven games. His , and some scouts in attendance clocked him as fast as 4.25. Colbert's blistering time was likely a big reason he was picked by the in the seventh round of the 2017 Draft. Because of his explosivene s and production as a rookie, Colbert debuts at No. 2 in the Week 3 rankings. As a rookie in 2017, Colbert received a on 530 defensive snaps for the 49ers. He broke up five pa ses and had one interception while making 32 tackles. 4. Vincent Taylor, DT, After second-year defensive tackle went down with a torn ACL in Week 3, it was between Taylor and to receive the call-up from the Bills before their ma sive home game against the on Sunday, and the latter was the recipient of said call. Despite mi sing out on a spot on Buffalo's 53-man roster for now, Taylor remains on the team's practice squad.He was a sixth-round pick of the in 2017 out of Oklahoma State, and in his final two years with the , he had 12 sacks and 23 tackles for lo s. At the combine, the 6-3, 304-pound interior defensive lineman tested solidly acro s the board with a 40-yard dash, broad jump, and three-cone drill all above the . Taylor made his name as a run defender initially but showcased good hand use and a high motor as a pa s rusher as well.While playing a limited role in Miami in his first two seasons with the team, Taylor was very efficient. He recorded four tackles for lo s, two sacks, and 45 total tackles on 185 snaps as a rookie and 204 snaps in 2018. He received "high-quality" grades of from Pro Football Focus. 5. Jason Cabinda, LB, Cabinda averaged 89 tackles, 5.6 tackles for lo s, 3.6 pa s breakups and 2.3 sacks over his final three seasons at Penn State. While he didn't run the 40 during the pre-draft proce s, he didn't appear to be a super-fast linebacker but was always around the football due to quick proce sing skills and an always humming motor. He displayed refined block-defeating skills with the Nittany Lions and was not a liability in coverage.After going undrafted last year, my No. 120 overall prospect in 2018 cla s signed with the and saw the field late in the season. He didn't dazzle but fared well on the inside, finishing with 21 total tackles and a "high quality" PFF grade of 73.6 on his 164 defensive snaps. In the 2019 preseason, Cabinda mi sed some tackles, which likely led to his release by the Raiders, but he has the mental ability and polished skills to sift through traffic to be a quality backup at the middle linebacker position. 6. Deontay Burnett, WR, 49ersWith the Trojans, during his Age 18/19 season in 2016, he accounted for an adequate 17.3% of the receiving yards and scored 21.2% of the team's receiving touchdowns ... on a squad with . After Dominic Proctor Jersey that, in 2017, when Darold was incredibly hyped in draft circles, Burnett upped his market-share figure to 26.6% -- not amazing, but not absolutely brutal -- and scored 34.6% of the receiving touchdowns. Burnett can ball. He finished as my .7. , WR, Johnson was my in the 2019 cla s. I loved the completene s of his game at nearly 6-2 and 208 pounds while at Buffalo. He won in traditional chain-mover type ways: shielding with his body, strong hands in tight coverage. He was impre sive tracking the football down the field and excelled after the catch in a deceptive way. He accounted for a whopping 39.7% of the Bulls' receiving yards as a junior and 32% in an injury-riddled senior campaign. Johnson, who's cousin, finds himself on a Chargers team dealing with plenty of injuries of its own, and .Per PFF, Johnson had the among draft-eligible receivers in 2019 and the second-best yards per route run average in 2017 and 2018 combine, behind only first-round pick . While Johnson didn't have a monstrous preseason, I believe he could be plugged into a part-time role for Los Angeles and contribute in a variety of ways as a rookie. 8. Obi Melifonwu, S, PatriotsMelifonwu played five regular-season snaps for New England a season ago and registered a tackle and allowed one catch for 5 yards. There's plenty of mystery surrounding him, as he barely saw the field with the Raiders after they made him the No. 56 overall selection in the 2017 Draft. It wouldn't shock me in the least if Belichick got the most out of him if and when he sees the field.9. Kerrith Whyte, RB, BearsYou know how I feel about preseason statistics. For Practice Squad Power Rankings, they're awesome. Whyte did accumulate just 55 yards on 18 carries (3.1 yards per) in four exhibition showings, however, Sean Taylor Jersey per Pro Football Focus, the rookie , giving him in a forced mi sed tackle rate of 33.3%. That was tied with Montgomery for the highest rate (and Montgomery forced one mi sed tackle on three rushes so that kinda/sorta doesn't count).In the regular season, Montgomery's rate is 18.3% at the moment. Cohen's is 25%. Davis' is 0%. 10. Dillon Mitchell, WR, VikingsMitchell was the unquestioned top target for Justin Herbert in 2018. He accounted for a very encouraging 36.7% of Oregon's receiving yards and scored 10 touchdowns. His game is predicated on slippery movements at the line and especially after the catch. Also, Mitchell is fast down the field. He ran 4.46 at the combine and tracks the football well on those long balls. He was my No. 58 overall prospect and No. 9 wideout in the 2019 cla s.Mitchell only made one reception for 10 yards in the preseason, which is why he's lower on this list than his pre-draft ranking would indicate. The Vikings seemingly want to ride in 2019, but there isn't much depth behind and at receiver on Minnesota roster, meaning the 6-1, 197-pounder has a decent chance to get a call up at some point during the season.Honorable MentionANTOINE WESLEY, WR, : Wesley was a clear redshirt candidate, simply because of his spindly frame. At the combine, he measured in at just over 6-4 and 206 pounds. At Texas Tech, Wesley was as natural of a hands-catcher as I scouted in this past year's draft cla s. I'm serious. And with incredibly long 34-inch arms, mitts just under 10 inches, and a 37-inch vertical, Wesley boasts Willie Herenton Jersey a mammoth catch radius. He had over 1,400 yards and accounted for a solid 33.3% of Texas Tech's receiving yards in 2018. The former Red Raider had three catches for 60 yards in the preseason, and I view him on a similar track to that of one of Baltimore's fourth-round picks in 2018, , a lanky, ball-skills specialist who took advantage of his redshirt year (due to injury) and got stronger heading into Year 2. Scott looked the part in exhibition games this summer, as he led the Ravens in receiving. Wesley can be that type of matchup-problem wideout down the road.ELIJAH HOLYFIELD, RB, : Holyfield was a cla sic "plays faster than he timed" prospect. At Georgia, finally in a full-time role after and departed to the NFL, his feet were impo sibly light, and his vision was outstanding. His contact balance was consistent each week too. That led to him being my No. 2 back in the 2019 cla s ... before the combine. Holyfield tanked there. At a little over 5-10 and a bulky 217 pounds, he ran 4.78 and had a vertical jump in the 4th percentile at the running back position.Those figures were the catalyst for him going undrafted, and while he did lose the No. 3 ball-carrier battle to in the preseason, Holyfield averaged a respectable 4.0 yards per carry on his 20 rushes. More importantly, he finished second only to Bonnafon among Carolina running backs in yards after contact per rush at a hefty 3.25, per Pro Football Focus. Holyfield is a natural runner who sees blocks before they're made, and he has a nice blend of quickne s and functional power to be a contributing No. 3 running back in the NFL, although he won't run away from anyone in the open field.