Will the Chicago Bears re-sign David Montgomery or let him walk in 2023?

The Chicago Bears have the best running attack in the NFL this season. One of the big reasons is David Montgomery. Does the team re-sign him this offseason or should they let him leave via free agency?

The Chicago Bears are winding down another disappointing season. They are 3-12 and are currently on an eight-game losing streak.

Despite that, there is hope for Chicago. They will have the highest salary cap space, by far, in the NFL. They’ll also have at least eight picks in next year’s draft. That number likely goes up since general manager Ryan Poles showed this year that he will pull the trigger on draft-day deals when he turned five picks into 11.

The Bears are still in the hunt for the top overall pick so if they get it Poles will certainly look into moving down and amassing even more picks (though he still may do it even if they finish with the second or third overall pick).

Poles will certainly have a lot of decisions to make this offseason. Poles will have many new faces on the roster when the dust settles. Many of the players he signed this year can walk after this season ends. This team will look completely different in 2023.

There will be a lot of talk about who Poles should have come back next season. Some of the players he signed or drafted have shown that they could be assets in the rebuild going forward.

One of the biggest decisions Poles has to make concerns running back David Montgomery. He is an immensely popular player but he becomes a free agent after the season.

Since the Bears drafted him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Montgomery has been one of the few bright spots on the team. He has 3,564 yards and 26 touchdowns running the ball.

Montgomery’s value isn’t just running the ball. While everyone talks about Justin Fields‘ running exploits they missed the fact that for the fourth time in his four seasons in the league, he recorded over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage.

Montgomery has been an essential part of the Bears’ passing game. There have been a number of times when he was the leading receiver in a game and not an actual receiver. He does a very good job of catching short passes like screens and taking them for big yards.

Montgomery is also a very good blocker. There have been a number of times when he threw a key block to help the quarterback buy time to make a pass.

Of the running backs on the roster today, Montgomery is the most well-rounded.

Montgomery has done everything the team asked of him and did it without complaining. There were times under previous head coach Matt Nagy when he was severely underutilized. He is exactly what Poles and current head coach Matt Eberflus say they want in a player — tough and smart and doesn’t make any excuses.

We saw the stark contrast in contract negotiations between linebacker Roquan Smith and Montgomery. Smith openly complained about his negotiations and even requested a trade. The Bears eventually gave him what he wanted and shipped him out of Chicago.

Montgomery, on the other hand, has said nothing about any of his dealings. He wanted his play to do the talking and he’ll visit the situation after the season. He has no ill feelings toward Poles or the Chicago Bears. He knows this is a business and will continue to be a professional.

Why would the Chicago Bears let Montgomery leave?

If Montgomery is so good and does everything the team asked of him, why would the team then let him walk?

Well, the running back position is undervalued in today’s game. They are practically a dime a dozen. Teams just don’t want to pay a lot for them.

According to Spotrac, the market value for Montgomery is 3 years, $29,308,476, an average of $9,769,492 per year. With so many holes on the roster, the Bears might not want to spend that on a running back.

Additionally, the Bears like what they have in Khalil Herbert. Before an injury sidelined him for four games, he led all running backs on the roster in rushing yards. He is fast and athletic and can explode and outrun the defense. The Bears are looking to be faster on offense and he fits the bill.

Montgomery is more of a bruiser. He will run over defensive players and break a lot of tackles. He usually is among the league leaders in broken tackles. He won’t outrun defenders but he had elite balance and it is tough to bring him down.

If the Bears were smart they could go with both Montgomery and Herbert. With the abuse running backs take, it is better for a team to have two good options. Look at the Dallas Cowboys. They have Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Both are great options for them. Either one can be the RB1 and do a good job. Together, however, they give Dallas a strong running game.

The same could happen with Montgomery and Herbert. Having them be different backs helps immensely. Teams not only have to prepare for Montgomery’s bruising, but they also have to prepare for Herbert’s speed.

Throw in Fields’ running and you see the results — the Chicago Bears lead the league in rushing and by a lot. They are 206 yards ahead of the next team despite having each player miss games due to injury and the three combined gaining just 80 yards last week (62 of them by Montgomery).

There is a chance that Poles lets Montgomery walk. However, if he wants a leader for the young players and a player who epitomizes everything he wants on the team he should then keep Montgomery in the fold.