David Montgomery delivered everything Chicago Bears fans could’ve hoped for in the preseason opener. There was certainly a lot of pressure on him. Here’s the top pick of the 2019 draft, brought in to replace a running back who’d been productive the past three years in Jordan Howard. They even traded up to get him. So the hype was considerable. Rookies taken in the 3rd round can’t be used to something like that. Montgomery won a lot of people over that night though, including former Bears great Matt Forte.
Montgomery was the driving force of the Bears offense that night. Trailing 6-0, the offense was struggling. They needed to put something together. After a holding penalty to start their second drive of the 2nd quarter, the running back got things going with a 23-yard catch and run for a 1st down. Two plays later he caught another pass for six yards, getting another 1st down. He then delivered a beautiful five-yard yard in which he ducked so low that a defender went over him before he kept going forward.
Two plays later, he put a final stamp on his night with a seven-yard touchdown run. The play saw the Panthers swallow up the middle with penetration. Montgomery read it, stopped, cut to the left and accelerated into the end zone. It was another play that should’ve gone for no gain that he turned into a positive. Forte was suitably impressed and let people know about it.
Matt Forte is a favorable judge when it comes to this stuff
If anybody knows a thing or two about running the football, it would be Forte. Especially in Chicago. He did it successfully for a long time with over 12,000 yards from scrimmage and five 1,000-yard rushing seasons in navy blue. Living up to his memory proved difficult for Howard despite his success. Why? He wasn’t quite the same versatile threat that Forte was, especially as a receiving threat in the passing game.
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That is where Montgomery was different. He caught every ball that was thrown his way and consistently proved a mismatch for the linebackers assigned to cover him. This was the critical element the Bears were missing in 2018. Somebody who could run the ball like Howard but also present a target in the passing game that defenses would have to account for. Fans saw what that type of player could do against Carolina.
Now imagine what will happen when he’s surrounded by the other starters and running behind the primary offensive line.
