Despite establishing himself as a firm fan-favourite in Chicago, all signs seem to be pointing towards David Montgomery making an exit from ‘The Windy City’ this offseason. Montgomery has made clear his desire to remain with the Bears and is seeking a new deal. Montgomery is looking for something in the region of $12 million per year, on par with RBs such as Aaron Jones and Joe Mixon. However, it seems that Ryan Poles is not willing to stump up for a running back whose production could be emulated by a cheaper option. It looks increasingly likely that the Bears will let Montgomery test the free agency market.

Montgomery was drafted out of Iowa State in the third round of the 2019 draft and soon established himself as the Bears RB1. Whilst he has had only one season in which he surpassed a thousand yards he has offered solid if unspectacular production for the Bears, amassing over 3,600 yards and 30 total touchdowns over his four seasons in Chicago.

Montgomery has a direct and hard-hitting style of running, attacking the line between the tackles. He has the ability to make defenders miss and will always fight tooth and nail for an extra yard. Montgomery saw a slight dip in touches last season as he split carries with Khalil Herbert. Their contrasting styles seemed to work well as a whole, especially with Justin Fields’ dynamic running ability factored in.

Montgomery also missed time during the 2022 season following an ankle/knee injury suffered against the Houston Texans in Week 3. This saw Herbert step up to RB1 and competently cover in his absence, putting up 77 yards against the New York Giants the following week. However, Montgomery demonstrated his resilience and was able to return in Week 5. He managed to finish the season with 801 yards with an average of four yards per carry as part of the best ranked rushing attach in the league.

Montgomery’s potential value has increased following the deadline for when teams can use the franchise tag. The top-rated pending free agent running backs Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard and Josh Jacobs will stay with their current teams after being franchise tagged by the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders respectively. This leaves Montgomery at the top of the list of available running backs along with the Eagles’ Miles Sanders. But which team will be willing to pay for his services?

If they could see eye to eye on how much he should be paid, this would be the preferred situation for both parties. It might be that Montgomery doesn’t receive offers from other teams that match his expectations and returns on a cheaper deal than he originally wanted. Montgomery clearly wants to stay in Chicago, which he has said himself. With Monty the Bears know exactly what they have and how to utilise him. Montgomery has established himself as a leader in the locker room and on the field and is the embodiment of the ethos that Matt Eberflus is trying to instil in the team. The Bears may decide to bring him back to continue this leadership.

Montgomery is an adept blocker with a 71.7 pass-blocking grade over his first four seasons. He can offer Justin Fields an extra layer of protection behind an offensive line that should be significantly improved this offseason from the unit that struggled last season to keep the quarterback safe in the pocket. Montgomery is also another outlet for Fields in short and intermediate passing situations. These are areas in which Montgomery is significantly superior to Khalil Herbert who, despite his potential for explosive runs, was often criticised for his inability to block sufficiently. Bringing Montgomery back will give them the best of both worlds.

The Falcons had the third ranked rushing attack in the league in 2022 and will want to continue with a strong focus on the ground. They could rely heavily on the run game whilst second-year passer Desmond Ridder settles into his role or to support another rookie if they decide to pick another QB in the upcoming draft.

Their 2022 rushing attack was spearheaded by first year RB Tyler Allgeier who set a franchise rookie record with 1,035 yards on the season. Despite this impressive production, Falcons GM Terry Fontenot has said ahead of the Scouting Combine that ‘you need to have multiple running backs to preserve their career to take care of them.’ Fontenot obviously wants to make sure that Allgeier doesn’t wear himself down by becoming a bell-cow.

Atlanta has seen a slew of former Bears players head their way since ex-Bears GM Ryan Pace joined their front office. Montgomery could be another to make the trip from Chicago to Atlanta to join forces with Cordarelle Patterson who made the same transition following the 2020 season. Like with Herbert in Chicago, the pairing of Montgomery and Patterson could produce a devastating one-two punch of running styles.

The Broncos may be looking to add depth to their running back group after Javante Williams suffered tears to his ACL, LCL and posterolateral corner in Week 4 of the 2022 season. This led to corrective surgery and a spot on the injured reserve list. Williams is expected to be Denver’s lead running back entering the 2023 season but this is dependent on how well his recovery goes during the offseason.

New Broncos head coach Sean Payton could be looking to add insurance at the position group and would probably love to have a player on offense who can make catches out of the backfield in a similar fashion to the way he utilised Alvin Kamara in New Orleans. Montgomery would also be an extra asset to support Russell Wilson who struggled in his first season in Denver.

Buffalo have found themselves relying too heavily on Josh Allen to gain yardage through the air and on designed runs, putting him at increased risk of injury. The Bills dual-threat QB ended the season with only 57 yards fewer on the ground than their leading running back. Buffalo’s leading rusher Devin Singletary is set to become a free agent.

If Singletary walks that will leave them with James Cook who whilst a good runner, his style is not to hit between the tackles. Cook is not an every-down type of running back. This is where Montgomery could step in, to help establish the run on early downs and take the focus off of Allen. The Bills would also be able to rely on Montgomery more in short yardage situations, again protecting Allen in crucial third and short situations.

After trading their top runner Christian McCaffery to the San Francisco 49ers during the 2022 season and with the possible departure of D’Onta Foreman in free agency it is very likely that the Panthers will be looking to make additions to their running back room during the offseason.

Frank Reich could choose to form a running back by committee format with Chuba Hubbard to help them consistently pound the rock. The Panthers are going to want to run the ball a lot to help ease in whoever they select as their new quarterback with the first pick. Montgomery would provide an outlet for check-downs and screen passes to help a new QB get in his stride. Montgomery’s hard-hitting style, blocking ability and would also be a great fit for a rookie passer

Alex Evans

What Next for David Montgomery?

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