2023 NFL Free Agency: Predicting where top 10 running backs land

8. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

David Montgomery is a player that I think you could tell from his days at Iowa State — this guy’s going to be good for a long time in the NFL. He always did everything so well and we’ve seen that translate to the NFL as Montgomery has been given a high volume of touches both in the running game and passing game.

His three-down ability will certainly endear him to offensive coaches, and he’s racked up over 1,000 total touches in his first four NFL seasons. He’s also averaging over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in those four seasons. His career yards per carry average is a slightly concerning 3.9, but then again, Montgomery hasn’t been running behind the best offensive lines in the league, either.

He’s a Cincinnati native, so could we see him head off to play for the Bengals if they move on from players like Samaje Perine and maybe even Joe Mixon? It’s not impossible, depending on what kind of price point we’re looking at.

Could the Chicago Bears bring him back? Maybe, but it also doesn’t seem like that’s part of their plan at this point. You could maybe see the Bears being bigger players for some of the top guys in this market if they do actually end up hitting the market.

But I think Montgomery will get plenty of looks from other teams and his added value as a receiver definitely helps with his overall valuation.

When you look at what Montgomery brings to the table, his overall usage with the Bears the last four years and also his usage at Iowa State can raise a red flag. He might only get a two-year offer from teams because of that, but that’s just the ugly nature of the beast right now if you’re an NFL running back.

Prediction: Signs with Cincinnati Bengals