Chicago Bears: 5 Players who could have a big season

Chicago Bears player no. 5: David Montgomery, Running Back

David Montgomery should have a big season in 2022. Last season, despite a struggling offensive line, he was on his way to having his best season. However, he suffered a knee injury that cost him a month of the season.

In his three seasons in Chicago, Montgomery has done a good job. He eclipsed the 1,000- yards from scrimmage in every season. As I mentioned, he was on his way to his best season before his knee injury.

In spite of that, he still finished the season with 849 rushing yards and 1,150 total yards from scrimmage, to go with seven combined touchdowns.

While there is still a question about the offensive line, Montgomery should still have a big season. This should be a meaner and nastier line so they’ll play harder. Additionally, this new system will have more running plays called.

The Bears are even using a fullback, a relic of the past. Poles signed Khari Blasingame to fill that role. He’ll be opening holes with the offensive line to make space available for Montgomery.

Montgomery has been among the leaders in broken tackles the past three seasons. He has incredible balance and it helped him gain extra yards. A lot of those broken tackles occurred in the backfield, though.

If he can get through the line and then break some tackles afterward, he’ll have a lot of big plays.

Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com recently wrote about how underappreciated a player Montgomery is.

"Not only was Montgomery contacted before getting to top speed at the third-highest rate last season, but he also faced multiple hits on the fifth-highest percentage of rushes and runs after the catch. And yet, he managed to haul in 82.4 percent of the passes thrown to him in 2021 (with a catch rate of 78.6 percent for his career). In other words, if the O-line can step up, Montgomery could soar."

Despite the line trouble, he still gets his stats. With Blasingame and Patrick helping, and hopefully Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom taking a step up in their second season, Montgomery will take a big leap and will no longer be Chicago’s secret.