The Chicago Bears need to jump on this Christian McCaffrey trade market
David Montgomery would cost way less than multiple first-round picks
If I am Ryan Poles, I am picking up the phone and calling the four teams rumored to be interested in Christian McCaffrey to see if they’d have any interest in David Montgomery as well. I’m not sure that the Chiefs make sense seeing they are probably looking to add a dynamic playmaker. As great as Montgomery is, he’s not the same type of homerun hitter as Christian McCaffrey.
When it comes to the Bills, 49ers and Rams though, Montgomery is a clear upgrade in my opinion. He is a better all-around running back than the Bears’ backup, Khalil Herbert. That said, Herbert is more than just a backup. He adds speed on the outside — the scheme the Bears like to run now — that Montgomery doesn’t bring. Losing Montgomery might be a problem with pass blocking, but the Bears could also bring in a guy like Marlon Mack or just promote Darrynton Evans to the active roster.
Since Montgomery is in the final year of his rookie deal and not owed a large sum of money like McCaffrey, that helps his trade value. If McCaffrey is worth multiple first-round picks (he isn’t), then Montgomery would be worth at least a second-rounder.
Realistically, I think Ryan Poles could get a third-rounder for Montgomery, and since the team is rebuilding it would make sense to ship him off for that. If a team is truly desperate though, a second-rounder could be in the cards. More likely, it would be a conditional pick that could be a second or a third depending on the outcome of Montgomery’s production. With the Bears sitting at 2-4 and in third place in the NFC North — trading Montgomery to a Christian McCaffrey suitor makes too much sense.