Chicago Bears: Who Stays And Who Goes? David Montgomery

As the Chicago Bears prepare for an impactful offseason, general manager Ryan Poles needs to first determine who stays and who goes. First up is David Montgomery.

The Chicago Bears finished the 2022 season with a 3-14 record. On their way there, they lost their final 10 games.

As a result, general manager Ryan Poles has the team on the right track to building a consistent winner. The Bears have the fattest wallet in the NFL entering free agency. Poles shipped out many bloated contracts and replaced them with short-term, team-friendly contracts.

Now Poles has about $120 million and counting to spend. While we don’t expect him to go on a crazy spending spree like a single guy in Las Vegas, he will have the opportunity to go after any free agent he wants. He has a lot of options and that is what you want when you build a roster.

In addition to the salary cap space, Poles also has the number one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Since he already has his franchise quarterback, there will be other teams who will pay a king’s ransom for that pick. For a team with a number of holes to fill, Poles can acquire a boatload of additional picks to the eight he already has.

In last year’s draft, he turned five picks, most of them in the later rounds, into 11. He did so while retaining his top picks, two second-round picks. Now he has the top pick and many of the later picks are early in the rounds. He can amass more picks that could speed up the rebuild.

Before that happens, Poles has to decide who on the current roster stays or goes. There are some players he feels he should keep. Then there are others who are better off parting ways with the team.

Let’s take a look at some of those players. First up, running back David Montgomery.

Does Montgomery remain in Chicago?

Montgomery was the Chicago Bears‘ third-round pick in 2019. He’s been a great pickup for the team.

In the four seasons in Chicago, he is one of the few bright spots on the roster. He is an all-around talent. He has 3,609 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 1,240 receiving yards and 4 touchdown receptions. Additionally, he caught 80 percent of the passes thrown his way, becoming a valuable target out of the backfield.

Montgomery has done everything the team asked of him. Not only has he done a good job of getting yards behind some bad offensive lines but also is a good blocker for quarterback Justin Fields.

Montgomery is the best pass blocker in the team’s running backs room. While many people rave about Khalil Herbert‘s yards and running ability, he doesn’t offer much more. He has trouble being an asset in the passing game. He has just 28 targets in his first two seasons. Montgomery had 35 targets in his rookie season alone.

Additionally, Herbert is a liability in pass blocking. Sure, he could improve in that area but do the Bears really want to wait for that to happen when they already have someone who could do that?

Montgomery is the all-around player the Bears’ offense needs. While some feel he isn’t a good fit in the system that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy runs but he really does fit. Having him and Herbert run as a duo is good for the offense. Herbert is the speedy back who breaks big runs. Montgomery, meanwhile, is the bruiser with elite contact balance who can break tackles and gain critical yards. Additionally, he can come out of the backfield and make plays by catching the ball. He gives Fields another target he could trust.

Is the money right?

Of course, with Montgomery becoming a free agent money is the big question. Yes, Poles has a big wallet to work with. However, as I mentioned, he can’t just go out and spend money like he’s printing it. A new contract has to be a win-win for both parties. The Bears need a team-friendly deal that is also fair for Montgomery.

In today’s NFL, running backs are undervalued. Teams can go out and find one late in the draft. It seems running backs are a dime a dozen.

With that being said, the free agency market for running backs is about to be saturated. There are a number of backs hitting the open market. Players like Saquon Barkley, Kareem Hunt, Jamaal Williams, and Josh Jacobs, among others, could hit the market. Of course, we’ll see how many of them either re-sign with their teams or are franchised and find out who actually hits the open market.

With a plethora of running backs hitting the market, it could drive down Montgomery’s price. That could be an advantage for the Bears.

Fans would love for the Bears to sign Barkley since they have the money to spend. However, the New York Giants will do whatever it takes to keep him. Also, according to Spotrac, Barkley’s market value is estimated at $12.3 million per season. With so many other holes in the roster, spending that much money on a running back is likely too much.

Montgomery, on the other hand, is far less costly. Spotrac has his value at about $7.2 million per season. That is a number that could have him stay in Chicago for more years.

It would be nice to have Montgomery play for a good team. He’s played on some bad teams yet played well. It’ll be great to see how much better he looks when the talent level is much higher.