Is David Montgomery a Dynasty Stud in the Making?

Johnny Kinsley

The Chicago Bears roster construction highlights how great the team’s potential can be (and also how many tight ends they have!) while also having frustrating shortcomings in one key area: Quarterback. We like to say the team is a quarterback away from greatness, and that appears to remain true even with the team trading for Nick Foles.

The QB depth is infuriating because the skill players around the field general aren’t half bad. Allen Robinson is an underrated WR1 who in my mind is a clear top ten wideout, Anthony Miller is a gifted slot receiver and WR2 with room to grow, and the backfield includes a high-quality receiving back in Tarik Cohen and the promising sophomore project in David Montgomery.

Running back value in the NFL has a pretty short shelf life, with teams mostly deciding to move on from backs after four-five years of their rookie contract (with exceptions). With Cohen in a contract year, that gives Montgomery the opportunity to supply a few quality years in dynasty. As is the case with many backs these days, he’s got enough talent to get to that level.

In his rookie season behind a struggling Bears offensive line, Montgomery rushed for 889 yards on 242 carries, six touchdowns, and caught 25 passes for an additional 185 yards and a touchdown in the air. FantasyData had him with 145.4 fantasy points, making him RB22 on the year.

Not in the fantasy spreadsheets, however, is that Montgomery had an astounding 28 broken tackles (according to Pro Football Reference) in 2019, tied for the sixth most amongst all running backs and two better than fellow rookie Josh Jacobs.

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Jacobs is an amazing talent who sheds tackles for breakfast, and to see Montgomery shed just a bit more with inferior run blocking is tantalizing in this wide world of dynasty football.

Many can point out that the scheme from head coach Matt Nagy can be downright brutal at times, which is accurate. But I think Montgomery can take enough of a leap in year two where he should be able to offset this to some degree. For more on why he could be a dynasty stud in the making, let’s dive right in and see what there is to like about the Iowa State alumni.

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Prior, we mentioned how Montgomery knows a thing or two about broken tackles, considering PFR had him with a whopping 28 of those. Of course, in order to shed tackles with high consistency, you need at least one of these two traits (excluding a good pad level): 1) Insane ankle-breaking agility, and 2) all the strength in the world. As far as Montgomery’s skill set is concerned, he discards tackles with insane ankle-breaking agility.

Montgomery runs like a cartoon character on some of his deadlier hospital cuts, and #21 on the Eagles is pretty fortunate he escaped this play with both of his legs intact, only getting slapped on the wrist by being spun around by the Bears back. Montgomery takes a small hurdle through the run blocking before doing a sharp, violent jab to create more yardage in space. In the meantime, he also breaks a tackle to increase the dosage of yards for Chicago.

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Montgomery lacks the experience Tarik Cohen has on the receiving end, but in 2019 that can work out pretty favorably. This will allow Cohen to get more reps in the passing game while also giving the Bears a quality option pounding the rock in the meantime. Montgomery can transition from jagged, agile cuts to buttery smooth jump cuts thanks to a good usage of acceleration. As shown on plays like this, he has a natural understanding of when to press and hold onto the turbo button and when to hold it.

Sometimes you just want to unleash that good ole’ NES Advantage turbo, but in the society of football, using it in spades is more beneficial for navigating tight gaps.

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This run doesn’t break the bank, but the combination of shiftiness and balance makes the play last longer than it had any right to. This is your traditional run up the middle, but pressure up the A-gap forces Montgomery to stop and (very briefly) survey his surroundings. That leads him into the vicinity of Sean Lee (#50), who brings danger to the table.

Looking closely, however, Montgomery’s footwork on this play is nuanced, and his stuttery movement gives him an advantage because it allows him to change direction with the snap of a finger, letting him accelerate away from Lee’s jaws of defeat. He bounces off two defenders to the ground, but not before picking up extra distance on a damn good effort on his part.

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Despite a low 3.7 yards per carry in his rookie season, Montgomery evaded defenders at a high level of consistency despite being behind a line that didn’t offer nearly as much comfort as it should have. For this example, however, he gets a little break due to better run blocking for once. This didn’t allow Montgomery to get too cozy on this play, as Andrew Sendejo (#34) was coming in headstrong. The back escapes the safety with a shimmy, using two shake n bake jabs to juke Sendejo out of orbit.

The draft selection of David Montgomery in 2019 was favorably received by Bears fans, and his rookie season backed that up with a great mixture of ACL-tearing cuts and responsible usage of acceleration. The hope is that the offensive line with offer better protection in year two, but backs of Montgomery’s quality also take big steps forward with another year in the pros. That’s just what happens when you shake off the rust and nerves coming into the league.

Montgomery offers good quality as a mid-round draft selection, as I feel this gives him the best value. Much like how Nick Chubb took a ginormous leap in year two, Montgomery is poised to do the same thanks to his tackle-breaking genius. He’s a very smart, level headed runner who complements Cohen perfectly in the backfield, and even if the quarterback situation still sucks for the Bears, they’ve got some enticing dynasty options to work with.

johnny kinsley