David Montgomery's Challenge Seems Clear

When Matt Eberflus became head coach it didn't take long to determine the direction their defense would take.

The impact on specific Bears within the defense or pending free agents became fairly obvious considering the switch from 3-4 defense to a 4-3.

However, not enough could be determined about their offense until after coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko came on board to know much about the impact on personnel.

Now it's apparent the Bears in some way shape or form are following the Shanahan running game style and the type of offense Matt LaFleur installed with the Packers.

Getsy has his own touch to add, such as being more of a run-pass option proponent than some others who use this style of offense like Kyle Shanahan.

What the Bears will run is something similar to Green Bay but with more movement of the quarterback and possibly players than even Sean McVay uses because the threat of a quarterback who runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash can open up so much more misdirection than the Packers use with Rodgers or the the Rams with Matthew Stafford.

All of this taken into account, some players are affected greatly.

First up on the checklist is running backs.

David Montgomery may need to prove his fit in this new system to get a contract extension because the fit is not entirely clear.

In a straight Shanahan style offense, Montgomery doesn't appear to be a square peg in a square hole.

Montgomery does fit in some respects, though, but in others does not. Montgomery's strength is his ability to break tackles and make tacklers miss, although his metrics took a dip at this for 2021 largely due to a midseason knee injury.

He is not a one-cut power back with some speed who necessarily follows the blocking flow in the wide-zone scheme.

Actually, Khalil Herbert fits this style more and it showed on some of the breakaway runs he had while subbing for the injured Montgomery, or in spot play.

Montgomery was drafted with the inside zone and RPO game in mind because Matt Nagy was coach. The RPO aspect is still in play in the new Getsy offense.

Montgomery's talents as a runner could transcend systems because all style of attacks can use backs who break tackles.

However, the elusive aspect—his ability to start and stop or make tacklers miss in the gap before running past them—translates better to the Kansas City style attack and inside zone blocking.

Another key aspect to consider is his ability to work in the passing game.

Montgomery has developed into a strong enough pass blocker. Each year in the league his catch percentage has improved, hitting 82.4% this year and 78.6% for his career. The 82.4% is higher than anything Aaron Jones has attained in Green Bay, and he has been the model more or less.

Jones has averaged a bit more per catch (8.2 yards to 7.6) in the last three years and more catches (49.3 to 40.3) but it's much easier to be a threat as a secondary receiver when your quarterback is Aaron Rodgers than it is when it is Mitchell Trubisky/Nick Foles/Chase Daniel/Andy Dalton/Justin Fields.

It will be interesting to see Montgomery's fit, or if they suspect they may need another back with power and speed to follow the wide zone, and then acquire one either in the draft or free agency. Trading Montgomery is always a possibility but thinking he would bring a good return is pure fantasy. The market for running backs these days seems slightly better than it is for drop kickers.

Any assessment of Montgomery made by coaches will need to factor in the ineffectiveness of the offensive line as a whole, and then Montgomery's knee sprain. He wasn't the same back after coming back from it and will no doubt look different after an offseason of strengthening it.

Last year he averaged 2.4 yards after contact according to Sportradar, good for 13th in the league. And his 29 broken tackles were third overall. This year with a knee injury splitting up his season, he averaged 1.9 yards after contact, which was 29th in the NFL. And he had just 16 broken tackles, tied for 12th.

Toss in the fact Montgomery is in a contract year and his situation becomes both unclear and intriguing.

Considering how many other conversion projects the new staff has ahead this offseason, this one seems like something they could give a year to with hopes they learn Montgomery is easily adaptable.

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