Chicago Bears: 5 hot takes on Justin Fields, Matt Nagy, and more
By Evan Bruner
Chicago Bears Hot Take: David Montgomery is a top-5 running back
David Mongomery’s recent play has led to high praise from Bears fans, including some believing he is an elite running back
Is David Montgomery is a top 5 running back?
Since running back is one of the most situation-dependent positions in football, it is a challenging one to evaluate. Stats and talent may not be completely related. For example, former Bears running back Jordan Howard was second in the league in rushing yards in 2016, but no one actually considered him a top two running back. There are a lot more factors that should be taken into account than just total rushing yards.
Montgomery has run well behind a below-average offensive line
Regardless of where you rank Montgomery among the best running backs in the league, you can’t deny it is impressive how productive he has been running behind an offensive line that has been riddled with injuries. He has some of the best balance in the league and is regularly able to make the first defender miss. Montgomery also showed that he could be a workhorse back towards the end of the 2020 season.
The talent pool at running back is deep
Although the perceived value of running backs in the NFL has dropped dramatically in recent years, that doesn’t mean the talent level has. It’s easy to say Montgomery is a top-five back, but when it comes to looking at all of the running backs, he would have to be better than to be top five, it becomes a much harder sell.
I’m not sure how you could currently put Montgomery over Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffery, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, or Saquon Barkley. Even if you think Montgomery is the next guy after that, it puts him at six. That isn’t even including guys like Nick Chubb, Aaron Jones, or Austin Ekeler, who could also be argued as better than Montgomery.
Bottom line
There is a lot to be excited about with Montgomery. After a slow start to his career in 2019, he started to find his groove in the Bears offense last year, and it looks like that momentum has continued into 2021. If he can continue his recent success, it will make it interesting to see if the Bears give him an extension. Still, calling Montgomery a top-five running back is a pretty lofty statement, given how much talent there is at running back.