The Chicago Bears entered 2020 with a ton of confidence in their running back position. It’s fair to wonder why. David Montgomery had a decent rookie year but nobody can say he had that look of a true featured guy yet. Even more concerning was the depth behind him. Tarik Cohen is more of a niche player who’s best in small doses. After that? The mostly untested Ryan Nall and undrafted free agent Artavis Pierce.
Sure enough, Montgomery ended up getting injured in training camp. He suffered a groin strain in drills at training camp. The diagnosis is he could miss anywhere from 2-4 weeks. While that’s good news considering how much worse it could’ve been, it puts the position in even further murky waters. Even if Montgomery returns for Week 1 in Detroit, who will they be getting? Groin injuries can be tricky to recover from and nag a player for an entire season. Ask Trey Burton.
Amidst this growing concern, it’s time to address something that hasn’t been talked about since last year. That being the still-puzzling decision by the Bears to cut Kerrith Whyte. Remember him? Ryan Pace drafted the FAU running back in the 7th round. While on the shorter side, Whyte had clear running ability along with legitimate speed and quickness. It looked like he’d make a perfect #3 or #4 option who could become a quality backup. Instead, the Bears tried to sneak him onto their practice squad where he was eventually plucked by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
David Montgomery loss makes one wonder what if
Whyte made quite a first impression when he arrived in Pittsburgh too. In his first appearance, he ran for 43 yards on just six carries. For the season, he managed a healthy 5.08 yards per carry. This despite playing against mostly stacked boxes due to constant quarterback problems. It forces one to wonder why the Bears released him in the first place?
The simple answer is the presence of Mike Davis and the arrival of J.P. Holtz. Davis was Montgomery’s primary backup at the time and seemed like he’d be around for the long haul. Holtz was brought in as a tight end but also help at fullback. This compelled the Bears to make the decision to send Whyte to the practice squad.
Ironically, David was cut himself not long after in order to preserve a compensatory draft pick down the line. Whyte could’ve slipped into that vacant backup role. Instead, it was too late. Now it’s hard not to feel the sting of regret about what could’ve been.