Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery is a lot of things. He's a leader, a tough runner, and a quality receiver out of the backfield. According to NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund, he's also underappreciated.
The Bears can show their appreciation for Montgomery with a new contract. His rookie deal expires at season's end, and we recently examined the factors for and against a second deal for Montgomery in Chicago. He's entering a critical season for his career trajectory, and Frelund has concerns about what the Bears have done to help him succeed in 2022.
"I wish the Bears had addressed their O-line in a way I better understood as an outsider this offseason," Frelund wrote. " After finishing the 2021 season with PFF's 22nd-ranked unit, Chicago let starters James Daniels and Jason Peters walk, replacing them with journeymen Julie'n Davenport and Dakota Dozier. I will be watching this situation closely to help forecast Montgomery's fantasy value. However, his real-world value is in part shown by computer vision metrics that indicate how much contact a back deals with.
"Not only was Montgomery contacted before getting to top speed at the third-highest rate last season, but he also faced multiple hits on the fifth-highest percentage of rushes and runs after the catch. And yet, he managed to haul in 82.4 percent of the passes thrown to him in 2021 (with a catch rate of 78.6 percent for his career). In other words, if the O-line can step up, Montgomery could soar."
David Montgomery must overcome Bears' O-line deficiencies
Indeed, the Bears haven't added many veteran starters along the offensive line. Still, Frelund overlooks the addition of free-agent center Lucas Patrick. He should be a massive upgrade over last year's starter, Sam Mustipher. And let's be honest, Peters was never coming back to Chicago in 2022. He's 40 years old and signed as an emergency fill-in for Teven Jenkins. Jenkins' back injury kept him sidelined for most of his rookie season.
General manager Ryan Poles wasn't completely inactive adding offensive linemen to the roster. He drafted four of them on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Sure, most of the team's rookie draft picks are developmental players. But they'll bring an extra level of competition to training camp this summer. It's possible a rookie like Zachary Thomas emerges as the starting right guard, too.
Still, it'd be dishonest to suggest Montgomery has a solid offensive line this season. It's a group of five starters littered with question marks. Is it possible the Bears' offensive line will emerge as a surprising strength in 2022? Sure. But it can also be the fatal flaw that prevents the offense from being productive.
It'll be more of the same for David Montgomery in 2022
Montgomery has proven throughout his career that he isn't dependent on his offensive line to be productive. Frelund's analytics establish that. So even if the Bears enjoyed a slight uptick from their 22nd-ranked offensive line in 2021, Montgomery's stats should do the same. It's worth noting that Chicago has a new scheme and play-caller on offense. They're two variables often overlooked when assessing the Bears' outlook on offense in 2022.
Montgomery finished the 2021 season with 225 carries for 849 yards and seven touchdowns. For his career, Montgomery's totaled 714 carries for 2,808 yards and 21 scores.
It's true Montgomery is underappreciated. He's a very good running back. And when healthy, Montgomery's proven he has the natural ability to be one of the three or four best running backs in the NFC. If he gets a little help from his offensive line and coaching staff in 2022, he'll go from underappreciated to well-paid this time next year.
