May 2, 2008

Updated at 2:35 p.m. EDT Monday, May 5

With just one minicamp under his belt, Bears second-round RB Matt Forté had many camp observers convinced that it would be only a matter of time before the Tulane product replaced Cedric Benson as the team’s featured back. With Benson’s status now clouded by his weekend arrest on charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest, the gap between Benson and Forté might be closing fast, although Benson is still expected to be listed first on the depth chart heading into training camp. “It’s obvious this guy (Forté) is not a complementary, change-of-pace back to Benson,” one team insider told PFW. “He looks more like a replacement. Forté just seems like a much more complete three-down back than Benson. I can easily see him becoming the starter, with Benson being used in the same kind of role he had behind Thomas Jones in the Bears’ Super Bowl year.” The Bears were particularly pleased with Forté’s pass-catching ability out of the backfield over the weekend. One red flag about Forte worth noting: We hear the team is more than a little concerned about the fumbling problems he had at Tulane.