David Montgomery was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. In that time since being drafted, Montgomery has developed into a tough, physical RB1 for the Bears.
In the last year of his rookie deal, Montgomery, 25, has proven to be a franchise running back in the NFL. Montgomery has asserted his dominance among defenders by being able to break multiple tackles and escape initial contact for more yards than what would have been had he been stopped earlier.
As a rookie, Montgomery played in all 16 games, 8 of which he started, compiling an impressive 889 yards and 6 rushing scores. He also tacked on some meaningful stats as a receiving running back as a rookie where he totaled 185 receiving yards and a score.
As he impressed his coaches and personnel staff, Montgomery continued to perfect his craft for the Bears, recording an even better 2020 season. As fellow running back Tarik Cohen got injured early on in the season, Montgomery’s usage was sure to live up to the RB1 status. As the Bears finished 8-8 and pushed for the final wild card spot in the playoffs, Montgomery gave us the best numbers Bears fans have seen from him in a long time. Rushing for 1070 yards and 8 touchdowns and receiving 438 yards and 2 scores, Montgomery cemented his status as the Bears RB1 moving forward even with an injured Cohen.
Sure, in his 2021 his statistics dropped a little bit, but that is not to say that he was playing at a lower level. He missed 4 games on the IR after injuring his knee against the Lions that year and still put up worth-noting numbers. In 2021, he put up 849 rushing yards and 7 scores along with 301 receiving yards, continuing to make his case as a dual-threat running back who can run the ball hard and get open and make the catch against defenders.
So far in 2022, Montgomery has played well so far averaging 4.0 YPC, while totaling 580 yards and 3 scores. In the 2021 NFL Draft , the Bears drafted Virginia Tech running back Khalil Herbert with the 217th overall pick to help add some depth for the Bears ground game. And that he has done. In his first 2 years in the league thus far, Khalil Herbert has tallied 1076 rushing yards and 6 scores, 157 yards and 3 touchdowns of which came against the Texans in Week 3 of this year’s season. Those efforts were good enough to be voted in as the FedEx Ground Player of the Week that week, as voted on by fans.
With Fields, Montgomery, and Herbert, the Bears are the league’s best rushing team. No doubt that it is a combination of all three of these players that the Bears have such a dominant running attack. Fields should be slated as the QB of the Bears for years to come, and Herbert should have a big role moving forward. What does this mean for David Montgomery moving forward as he is in the last year of his deal?
The Bears could exercise his 5th year option on his rookie deal, or could sign him to a multiyear deal and tie him to the Bears for years to come. Although he has suffered a few injuries, Montgomery’s toughness and unwillingness to quit is displayed in every single game, every play as he fights for every yard and inch. And that is exactly what the Bears need moving forward, toughness and reliability. When the time comes, try and sign Herbert to a long-term deal too if the finances work out because he is just as good. The point is, the Bears have benefited greatly from both backs, especially Montgomery.
Montgomery, who is well-respected in the locker room and is a fan favorite with his popular saying of “Yessirski”, should be signed to a deal that not only keeps him in Chicago for at least 2 or 3 (if not more) years, but also fairly compensates a reliable and physical players that the Bears haven’t seen since the beautiful days of Walter Payton and Matt Forte.
Montgomery loves playing in Chicago and it holds a special place in his heart to be able to play for Chicago fans on gameday. Ryan Poles will be a busy man assessing this and many other players come the offseason.
