Expectations are high for Chicago Bears second-year running back David Montgomery heading into 2020 following a solid rookie campaign.
Montgomery wasn’t helped by the Bears offensive line or Matt Nagy’s play calling, where he got more than 20 carries in four games last season, and there were seven games where he had less than 15 carries.
Still, Montgomery flashed his potential in his rookie season, where he had 889 rushing yards, averaging 3.7 yards per carry, and six touchdowns. He also added 25 receptions for 185 yards and a score. Montgomery surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards as a rookie. Montgomery also thrived as a pass blocker, where he ranked as the second best pass-blocking running back in 2019.
Coming out of Iowa State, Montgomery was praised for his elusiveness and ability to force missed tackles, which is something that manifested at times during his rookie year.
Pro Football Focus ranked every starting running back in the NFL by elusiveness, and Montgomery landed in the middle of the pack at No. 16.
Montgomery was a PFF favorite coming out of Iowa State precisely because of how elusive he was. You want to talk about a crazy stat? Montgomery forced more than 100 missed tackles as a runner and receiver in both 2017 and 2018 with the Cyclones. No other running back accomplished that feat in either of those seasons. That ability carried over to the NFL as a rookie last season — Montgomery ranked eighth among running backs on this list in missed tackles forced per touch — but he wasn’t able to turn that into efficient play as a runner or a receiver.
Fixing the run game has been one of the focuses this offseason. Matt Nagy has been working with his new offensive coaches — offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone — to help dissect what went wrong on offense, particularly the run game.
If the Bears right the ship on offense and Nagy really commits to running the football, Montgomery could be looking at a breakout year for Chicago in his second season.
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