The Chicago Bears offense can’t catch a break. Their offensive line is decimated by injuries. Now their top running back David Montgomery will miss Monday Night Football with a concussion. Whatever stability they had back in September is long gone. Now they’re forced to figure out what they can do to fill that void against a surging Minnesota Vikings team. Enter Lamar Miller.
A Pro Bowler back in 2018, he fell out of sight early last year when he tore his ACL. The Houston Texans parted ways and he was left looking for a new home. After a brief stop in New England, he found his way to Chicago’s practice squad. They were in need of depth at running back after losing Tarik Cohen for the season to a torn ACL of his own.
Now the veteran is finally back.
What makes it even more interesting is the timing. Why? Two days ago, head coach Matt Nagy made the surprise announcement that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor would be taking over play-calling duties on offense starting on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings. A momentous decision a lot of people didn’t see happening.
This is significant for Miller because the two have actually worked together before. In fact, the running back had the two best seasons of his NFL career in 2014 and 2015 for the Miami Dolphins. The same team that happened to have Lazor as its offensive coordinator. Miller compiled 2,643 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns over that stretch.
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The #Bears plan to elevate veteran RB Lamar Miller from the practice squad for MNF, source said, his first action since tearing his ACL before the 2019 season. David Montgomery has been ruled out with a concussion.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 15, 2020
Lamar Miller can be a weapon IF he’s healthy
This means that Lazor should know exactly what he has in Miller and how to use him. That is never a bad thing. The big question left to answer is what does the running back have to offer? Players coming off major knee injuries are hard to predict. Some play like they were never hurt. Others look like shadows of their former selves. Miller hasn’t played a game since December 30th of 2018. At 29-years old, it is hard to know if he has any gas left in the tank.
Is the speed and explosiveness he made his name on still there? The Bears hope so. They haven’t had any big plays out of that position almost all year. Another reminder of how huge the loss of Cohen was. With Montgomery out too, they were looking at a combo of Ryan Nall, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Artavis Piece against Minnesota. Not one that inspires confidence.
It’s hoped this promotion gives the formula a jolt.
Lamar Miller is no stranger to playing behind bad offensive lines. It has kind of been his thing most of his career both in Miami and Houston. For what it’s worth, the last time he and Lazor saw the Vikings together he had 150 total yards and a touchdown. Minnesota ranks 20th against the run this season. Their defense is a shadow of what it was two years ago. He could end up being one of the big surprises of this game. One the Bears have to have.