Maurice Jones-Drew knows a thing or two about running back. He was a pretty good one for a long time in Jacksonville. His three Pro Bowl nods prove that much. So when he produces something like a rankings of the best in the NFL at that position? It is worth taking notice. In his latest list there weren’t too many early surprises. Derrick Henry sat at #1 with Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara right behind him.
Where it got interesting was between the #10-15 range. A few unexpected names were included there. Most notably for Chicago Bears fans? David Montgomery. Keep in mind this is significant. When evaluating most running back rankings out there right now, Montgomery rarely cracks the top 20 and almost never the top 15. For him to come in at #13 overall? That is a noteworthy statement by Jones-Drew. Not only does he have high praise of the Bears standout.
He also has high expectations.
“Montgomery came on strong late last season, rushing for nearly 600 yards and seven touchdowns over the final six games to finish fifth in the league in rushing yards. If the Bears are to return to the playoffs in 2021, they’ll need a strong running game to help the quarterback (whoever that may be) and the defense. Montgomery has all the tools to pick up right where he left off and prove he’s one of the better young runners in the league.”
Montgomery was the engine for the Bears in 2020. They were 4-2 in games where he scored a rushing touchdown and 2-1 in games where he topped 100 yards rushing. Good things tended to happen when they gave him the ball. He wouldn’t have it any other way. Montgomery has been the workhorse for every team he’s played on since high school. Getting a chance to play for the organization his idol Walter Payton did was a dream come true.
The idea of more touches doesn’t scare him. Quite the opposite. The more the better in his mind. He even went to Matt Nagy during mandatory minicamps and pleaded for the team to put pads on so he could run it. This despite league rules prohibiting it. This should offer a clear idea of where Montgomery’s mindset is at. He is ready to run and 2021 could be his defining season.
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David Montgomery has company this time though
It was easy for the Bears to feed him in 2020. Mostly because he was the only viable option they had. Tarik Cohen was lost early in the year to a torn ACL. That left Cordarrelle Patterson, a former wide receiver, and Artavis Pierce, an undrafted rookie, as their only other viable options. So yeah. Ride that Montgomery train. That being said, a lot has changed in the past few months.
Cohen is back from his knee injury. He’s joined by former Kansas City Chiefs hero Damien Williams and 6th round draft pick Khalil Herbert. The depth at running back has significantly improved for the Bears. Enough to where the notorious distributor that is Matt Nagy is almost sure to seek getting all of them involved. That may do well to preserve their bodies in a long, grueling 17-game season but it won’t help David Montgomery pile up those stats.
Can he keep quite about that?
Montgomery has always been a team-first guy. One can imagine he won’t cause a stir. At the same time, he’ll probably let the coaches know to give him the ball whenever the team is struggling. He tends to get things going in those situations. Then again, Nagy is never above riding the hot hand. If the running back gets off to a strong start? He may just open the throttle and let the engine run.
