Year One to Year Two Development

Let’s talk about that potential growth that Montgomery might see in his second year. Because, even in a league like the NFL that demands immediate results, it’s important to remember that David Montgomery is still just 22 years old.

The rookie season doesn’t always click with players jumping into the pros, and the running back position is no exception. Proven capable starters like Indianapolis’ Marlon Mack and Cincinnati’s Joe Mixon, even recent NFL superstars like New York’s Le’Veon Bell and Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey all went through rookie years with fair workloads and efficiency that didn’t quite match up with their volume.

The common thread between those four names? Each of them would go onto have great campaigns in their second seasons, with three of the four breaking the 1,000-yard mark rushing and none of them running for less than 4.7 yards per carry.

None of that to say that every inefficient running back will turn into Christian McCaffrey. Rather, the comparison should show that even though Montgomery turned in a less-than-stellar 3.7 yards per carry in 2019, there should still be hope for the young player going into Year Two, as he grows more comfortable with the speed of the NFL and the specifics of the Chicago offense.

And looking at Montgomery’s late-year box scores, it might be fair to say that his development into a star was already taking place. In four of Chicago’s last five games, Montgomery managed to turn in performances of over 4.3 YPC, well above his end-of-season average.

Despite officially starting in only eight games in 2019, Montgomery still earned 242 carries in his rookie year, ranked 14th in the NFL. Nagy and the Bears clearly trust their young running back with a heavy workload, and if that efficiency can start to match his volume, Montgomery will quickly turn into a true threat in the backfield.