Chicago Bears: 3 Takeaways from first preseason game vs. Panthers

David Montgomery impressed in his debut

The biggest thing the fans were looking forward to was David Montgomery‘s NFL debut. He has a lot of pressure on him. Many expect him to come right out of the gates and compete for Offensive Rookie of the Year and become the next great Chicago Bears running back. That’s asking a lot out of a kid who hasn’t touched the ball in a real game yet.

Well, maybe Montgomery showed that he might be up to the task. He performed as advertised, using his incredible balance to twist his body away from defenders and get good chunks of yards. He finished his time rushing three times for 16 yards (5.3 yards per rush) and making three catches for 30 yards.

Montgomery took his first rush on the second drive of the game. He went to his right then cut back to his left, sidestepped a defender and found some open space. The problem was he had quarterback Chase Daniel blocking. Well, Daniel decided he wouldn’t risk it and Montgomery got stopped after a four-yard gain. If he had someone else blocking he would’ve had a big gain.

Two drives later, Montgomery really got the fans going. The Bears went 59 yards for a touchdown and he got 41 of them, including a nice seven-yard touchdown run. Again, he went to his right but there was nothing there. instead of bouncing out further to his right, he saw the tight end passing to his left. Montgomery went that way and after getting a block he made another defender miss and he walked into the end zone. The fans went crazy after that drive.

Nagy had high praise for Montgomery after the game, per the Chicago Tribune:

"“This kid’s DNA is rare. And I don’t want to overblow it. He has a ways to go. I don’t want to make him the next great back in this great organization. But he’s headed in the right direction.”"

More impressive than his running was Montgomery’s blocking. He went in there and made a couple of hard blocks. He’ll need to be a good blocker as we should expect more passes than the team ran last season. The Bears need him to help protect quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Everything the Bears said about Montgomery he showed in this game. He’ll be a great asset in the passing game, and not just on sideline passes. The offense will have added options with him that they didn’t have with former Bears running back Jordan Howard. We need to avoid trying to crown him the next great running back but Montgomery is showing that he doesn’t mind the pressure.