Chicago Bears training camp is less than three weeks away, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.
Next up are the running backs, which you could argue is one of the team’s biggest weaknesses at this point. Outside of lead back David Montgomery, who’s entering his second season, and the versatile Tarik Cohen, there are a lot of unknowns.
Perhaps the most important is who will serve as Montgomery’s primary backup, as Cohen isn’t your traditional three-down back. The Bears have three unproven guys that are currently vying for that third running back spot in Ryan Nall, Artavis Pierce and Napoleon Maxwell.
Could they bring in a veteran to compete? Unknown at this point. But given the importance of securing a dependable backup to Montgomery, it shouldn’t be out of the question.
Let’s take a look at the running backs heading into training camp.
David Montgomery
Montgomery is entering training camp as Chicago’s lead back, and he’s determined to take the next step following a decent rookie campaign. Heading into his second season in Matt Nagy’s offense, expectations are high for the Bears’ top draft pick a year ago.
Last season, behind a struggling offensive line and questionable play-calling, Montgomery had 889 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He also added 25 receptions for 185 yards and a score. Montgomery surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards as a rookie. He ranked second among NFL rookie rushers in both yards (889) and touchdowns (6) last season, trailing only the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs.
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