Chicago Bears: 5 Biggest questions for the 2020 season
4. Can David Montgomery have a breakout season?
The Chicago Bears running game was disappointing last season. They ranked 20th in rushing attempts, 27th in rushing yards, 28th in rushing touchdowns, and 29 in average yards per rush.
Yes, a big part of that was because of the poor offensive line play (more on them later). They weren’t able to get enough push and the running backs could not get big enough holes to run through.
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There are good signs for the running game, however. David Montgomery ranked seventh in the league in broken tackles with 28. He displayed the abilities he has to keep grinding yards and also break away from would-be tacklers.
While some lament the struggles of the running game, looking deeper into what Montgomery did gives hope for a breakout 2020 season. As difficult as it was for him to gain yards, he finished the 2019 season with 889 yards. Despite getting hit at the line of scrimmage every time he got the ball, he nearly finished with 1,000 yards. Also, he recorded 50 first down runs, ranking 17th. Add in the 185 receiving yards and he finished with 1,074 total yards from scrimmage.
NFL.com named Montgomery as a candidate to break out in 2020. Here is what they said about him:
"[Montgomery] had a solid rookie season (889 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns), but he’s capable of so much more with a better offense. The Bears ranked 29th in the NFL in total offense last year, largely because embattled quarterback Mitch Trubisky struggled so mightily. That all could change if Nick Foles wins the job or simply pushes Trubisky to play at a higher level."
Montgomery should be a better player just with the experience he got as a rookie. He has a better understanding of the speed of the game and what is expected from him. If the offensive line performs better that makes it even better. Add in better quarterback play and Mongtomery should have a very good 2020 season.