Why the Chicago Bears will have David Montgomery back in 2023

The Chicago Bears offense was about as sloppy as the weather was at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In a crushing 31-10 defeat to the New York Jets, the Bears only managed to sniff the end zone once without Justin Fields.

Fields was officially ruled out early this morning. This gave backup quarterback Trevor Siemian the start. Overall, Siemian played as expected, completing 14 of his 25 attempts for 179 yards. He also threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

With Fields out, the dominant Bears rushing attack that led the NFL coming into Week 12 with 197 rushing yards a game, was bound to flop. David Montgomery had other plans.

Montgomery carried the ball 14 times for 79 rushing yards, good for 5.6YPC. On top of the rushing production, Montgomery also caught 3 passes for 34 yards, putting his total yards at 113 for the day.

Montgomery looked like a gamechanger Sunday afternoon, and after today’s performance, it might be unwise to let him go after this season. He just brings a whole different element to this Bears offense.

First of all, Montgomery showcased that he can still be used as a workhorse back, totaling 17 touches. He also flashed his underrated receiving ability, catching 3/4 targets for 11YPC. Montgomery also serves as a great pass blocker, something that none of the other running backs on the Bears roster are. An overlooked skill that a lot of running backs don’t have.

Bringing Back David Montgomery looks to be a priority for the Chicago Bears, as they have the cap space, and he provides a change of pace in this talented backfield.

The Bears running back situation is very similar to what the Cowboys have going on in Dallas. Khalil Herbert is an emerging star, who has seen both his workload and production increase this season. He has looked explosive, and his big play ability makes him very valuable.

Tony Pollard is in a very similar situation in Dallas, as he is the explosive, big play runner in that Cowboys offense. David Montgomery is more similar to Dallas’s Ezekiel Elliott.

Both Elliott and Montgomery are powerful runners who work as great bruisers and short yardage backs. Each back compliments the other well, ultimately making the offense as a whole better.

Montgomery was rumored to be traded before the deadline. However, the Bears decided to hang onto him even though he is on the last year of his deal. This shows that they are committed to keeping this RB tandem intact. It just wouldn’t make sense to keep Montgomery, just to let him walk for nothing.

The Bears also have the most cap space in the NFL, and by a wide margin. Paying a running back has been frowned upon as of late, but when you have as much cap space as the Bears do, you might want to keep the best rushing offense in the league together.

There is no telling for sure what the Bears future plans are for Montgomery, but everything is seeming to add up to him staying in Chicago in 2023.