Ryan Poles will have to decide whether or not to bring back David Montgomery this offseason. He’s set to hit the open market after four seasons with the team. The question for Poles is how much will it take to bring him back, and what are the other options on the market.
In four years, Montgomery eclipsed 800-plus yards in all of them. In that span, he also put up 30 rushing and receiving touchdowns. He’s proved he can be a solid three-down back in the NFL. Not to mention, he and second-year running-back Khalil Herbert have become a great one-two punch.
As for his market value, it’s a bit of a mystery. He’s put up a solid resume and has gained respect around the league. A fair estimate would be around $8-10 million a year, with the length being 2-4 years.
If Montgomery were to walk, they have the option to spend money on another back. Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Kareem Hunt, and Jamal Williams will hit the open market in March. A lot of names similar to the talent of Montgomery.
However, teams nowadays can find productive running backs in the later rounds of the draft. It may make sense to roll with Khalil Herbert and draft a back with one of their picks.
The bottom line, Montgomery is a good back. For the right price, the Bears should try and bring him back. With running backs being easy to replace nowadays, the Bears shouldn’t overpay. It will be interesting to see how this will play out. I could see it going either way.
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