David Montgomery big-play profile

Does David Montgomery big plays into the mix?

After looking into how David Montgomery fared as a pass catcher, and as an elusive tackle breaker, it is clear that he stood apart from his peers as a running back worth trading up for. However, the Chicago Bears noted that they want a do-everything back. That means an addition of big plays at the third level.

Montgomery is a tackle breaker, but is he a big playmaker?

Breakaway runs

David Montgomery had a breakaway run rate over 31% this is about average when comparing his numbers to the rest of the backs in the class. Miles Sanders and Mike Weber posted the closest comparisons.

Still, this is not his best attribute as RyQuell Armstead, Bryce Love, Devin Singletary, Devine Ozigbo, Trayveon Williams, Dexter Williams, Bruce Anderson and Darrell Henderson all had better breakaway run rates.

Burst score

Montgomery had a burst score of 109. That is one of the lowest of the group. Benny Snell and RyQuell Armstead brought similar burst to the table, and they are not the backs who are cutting upfield. No other backs had a score under 110.

Speed score

Montgomery had a speed score of 96.6. This again comes in slightly below average, but not as bad as his burst numbers. Still, he sits right between Benny Snell and Dexter Williams as average speed backs. It is worth noting that Josh Jacobs and Devin Singletary had much worse speed scores, and both backs were already gone.

So, we finally found a weakness for Montgomery. He can catch as good as anyone and can elude with the best. His questions come down to speed, burst and finishing runs. His cuts are quick, but are lateral. He does not have that burst to push it upfield.

Of course, it is nice to know that the Chicago Bears have Tarik Cohen for all of their big play needs. The consistency of Montgomery with the big plays of Cohen can play off of each other.