**Golden Bear Report is going position by position, alternating offense and defense, to assess where things stand for Cal entering spring practice next month. We've previously covered the QBs, ILBs/OLBs, TEs, DL, WRs and DBs.**

As spring ball approaches, so does the end of the position previews. Remaining on the list: the running backs and the offensive line, the two twin heartbeats of the Cal offense as it currently exists.

The Bears have six running backs on their roster but will return only one of the top three on its depth chart with the departures of Chris Brooks (transferred to BYU) and Marcel Dancy (graduation). Damien Moore will be the lone back returning.

Moore, who saw limited action in the back half of the season (there are some unconfirmed whispers of a hand injury, but mostly hearsay) will be the favorite to take the reins going forward. Moore had 100 carries for 517 yards and 6 trips to the endzone in 2021.

With Cal losing 1,281 of its 1,973 rushing yards (65%) from last season, there will be plenty of opportunities for younger or more inexperienced rushers to get their chance.

Names like Chris Street, Ashton Stredick and DeCarlos Brooks will all look to get their shine alongside Moore in 2022. All of these players are built roughly the same; they all exist somewhere in the 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 range and all are 210-plus pounds. Solidly built, quicker than fast. The individual skill sets obviously can change, but there’s a common theme there.

Here’s the curveball.

Historically, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave has always searched for a specific combination of body types in his running backs. Going back to his last two NFL stints, it is clear what he wants. He loves the shorter, quicker backs. DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard (both 5-foot-8 and roughly 210lbs) got a ton of burn for him with the Raiders. When with the Broncos in the following years, it was Phillip Lindsay (5-foot-8, 190 pounds).