Based on how Chicago Bears coaches are acting, they seem fairly confident about the situation at running back. David Montgomery is their unquestioned starter. He earned that with his strong finish to 2019, finishing with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage. Belief is if the offensive line can block better, he has a chance to become that feature back they are looking for.
After that is the ever-versatile Tarik Cohen. His 2019 wasn’t the greatest but he’s still a danger whenever he touches the ball. After that though? There are question marks. Ryan Nall is the #3 guy but he has hardly played up to this point in his career since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Behind him are two undrafted rookies in Artavis Pierce and Napoleon Maxwell. So the depth behind Montgomery and Cohen is iffy at best.
This is why many fans and media worry if the Bears should consider signing a veteran of some kind. If that is the case and they’re looking for a bargain, they need to call Lamar Miller.
Miller has plenty to offer this Chicago Bears offense
Most people tend to forget Miller. That is what happens when a guy who was an afterthought even when healthy ends up tearing his ACL. That is such a shame too because the running back was playing some of his best football in 2018. He had his fifth-straight season over 1,000 yards from scrimmage with 973 rushing. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Sadly he suffered that knee injury last August and hasn’t been seen since.
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The good news is he should be healthy by now and is still 29-years old. While not young for a running back, he should still have some juice in his legs. Chicago wouldn’t need him to be the main guy in this scenario. He’d be the #2 behind Montgomery, giving him a couple of series off per game. That in turn would allow Cohen to stay where he’s best as a versatile gimmick player who creates matchups.
If the Bears do something like this, it won’t happen until training camp begins. They want to see what they have in the youngsters first. Smart money though says they look that direction at some point.