David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

The Bears drafted David Montgomery with the 73rd overall pick in 2019. As a rookie, the Iowa State product showed some flashes of potential. For a third-round pick, Montgomery performed admirably. However, his overall rookie season wasn’t that memorable or impressive.

Last year, Montgomery finished third in rushing yards among the NFC North’s starting running backs. With the Detroit Lions adding D’Andre Swift, Montgomery could fall to fourth in the division.

On the other hand, the second-year back should see substantially more snaps this coming season. As a rookie, Montgomery only played 614 offensive snaps (57% of Chicago’s total offensive snaps). He amassed 242 carries during that time, which barely led Aaron Jones’ 236 and trailed Dalvin Cook’s 250.

The Bears will hops Montgomery surpasses his rookie average of 3.7 yards per carry in 2020. Most starting backs want to average at least 4.0 yards per carry. Anything under that is extremely inefficient. Although, Chicago’s offense as a whole doesn’t help Montgomery much. At this point, the team’s offense is the weakest in the NFC North.

I anticipate some mild improvements for Montgomery in 2020. However, the young running back could still struggle in the Bears’ unstable offense.

Prediction for Montgomery in 2020: 250 attempts, 1,000 yards, five touchdowns