Chicago Bears: Keep an eye on David Montgomery at OTAs

As the Chicago Bears begin OTA’s, one player to keep an eye on is 2019 third-round pick David Montgomery

This offseason, the Chicago Bears decided to revamp the running back room bringing in Mike Davis, Kerrith Whyte, and David Montgomery. With three new faces in the running back room, the running back is a position that is full of unknowns as the team begins its preparation for the 2019 season. While Tarik Cohen is the only proven product in the running back group, Davis, Whyte, and Montgomery will all look to make cases for starting in 2019.

While Matt Nagy has stated that he will likely end up using a running back by committee approach this season, it is fair to wonder, could rookie David Montgomery end up separating himself from the competition in OTAs?

Montgomery is an interesting fit for the Bears offense on multiple levels. He brings the ideal attributes needed to excel in Matt Nagy’s offense. Not only does he possesses the size to be a workhorse running back in the NFL, but he also has the vision and instincts to be a three-down starter.

Receiving skills are necessary for running backs to excel in Nagy’s offense. Montgomery has had his fair share of catching the football while he was in college. Over a three-year period at Iowa State, Montgomery amassed 71 receptions for 582 yards averaging 8.2 yards per reception.

When evaluating Montgomery on film, it’s clear that the Bears drafted him because he reminded them of a player that used to be the Kansas City Chiefs when Nagy was the offensive coordinator: Kareem Hunt.

Now does this mean that Montgomery will have a Hunt-like offensive impact on the Bears immediately? Maybe, that’s still to be determined. However, Montgomery will still be a big part of the Bears offense in 2019 and in the future as well.

The Bears don’t just value Montgomery’s play on the field. General Manager Ryan Pace has also praised Montgomery’s character too. After drafting Montgomery, Pace stated that “he’s just a good all well-rounded player.”

It’s clear that inside Halas Hall, Montgomery is looking to turn some heads and open some eyes whenever he’s going to get a chance to take the field. Over the next three weeks, Montgomery is going to prove why he was worth trading up for and why the Bears need to make sure that he starts week one against the Green Bay Packers.