The Chicago Bears will officially have top running back David Montgomery back in their lineup for Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it doesn’t sound like there will be much of a pitch count for him, either.
According to Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago, Montgomery is “expected to receive the bulk” of the carries out of the Bears’ backfield against the Steelers as he prepares to play his first game in nearly a month. The 24-year-old running back had been on injured reserve since October 9 with a knee injury he sustained in Week 4’s win over the Detroit Lions, but the Bears activated him prior to Monday’s 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.
Montgomery had been one of the Bears’ strongest assets on offense before getting injured, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and exceeding 100 rushing yards twice in their first four games. He was also hurt during his best outing of the year in which he took a season-high 23 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns in less than a full game of action against the Lions. If Montgomery is able to handle a full workload again, then it is certainly in the Bears’ best interests to set him loose in Pittsburgh.
The Bears also elevated linebackers Cassius Marsh and Sam Kamara from the practice squad to their game-day roster for Week 9 and removed right tackle Germain Ifedi from the reserve/COVID-19 list, letting him revert back to injured reserve.
The latest Bears news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Bears newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on Bears Newsletter!
Will Bears Strikes Balance in Backfield?
Montgomery should be able to provide a substantial boost for the Bears as they look to snap a three-game losing streak on the road, and it is only right that he reclaims his role as their lead running back upon his return to the lineup. Still, the burden will fall on Chicago to reintroduce him into the backfield without completely eliminating the impact of rookie Khalil Herbert.
Herbert has been an explosive surprise for the Bears over their four games without Montgomery, rushing for 344 yards and a touchdown and catching nine of the 10 passes thrown his way for another 44 yards during that span. The 2021 sixth-round pick also produced his first 100-yard-rushing game against Tampa Bay in Week 7, which is hard to discount given the top-tier defensive front tasked with stopping him.
With Damien Williams (knee) ruled out against the Steelers, Herbert can still be expected to split some of the carries with Montgomery, but it will be interesting if the Bears find more creative ways to get him involved in their game plan. Perhaps, there can be a role for Herbert similar to how Tarik Cohen was used before his 2020 ACL tear that can create matchup problems for the defense.
The Bears might also consider getting Herbert work again on kickoff returns. While the team played him almost exclusively on offense during his time as their primary rusher, likely to shield him from injury, they might want to tap back into his potential as a return man given he was averaging 28.2 yards per return. Then again, the Bears also traded for veteran wideout Jakeem Grant after Montgomery’s injury to handle return duties and could be content to keep Herbert focused on offense.
Kamara & Marsh Add OLB Depth
The promotions of Kamara and Marsh are not particularly surprising given the Bears’ current depth issues at outside linebacker. Khalil Mack, their four-time All-Pro pass rusher, will miss his second straight game for the Bears on Monday night against the Steelers as he continues working back from a lingering foot injury. The Bears also still have Jeremiah Attochu on injured reserve, leaving them with Robert Quinn and Trevis Gipson as their only healthy options to come off the edge.
Kamara and Marsh may not see many reps against the Steelers, but they will each fill out an important depth role for the team that could become vital if another injury impacts their outside linebacker room. Kamara was part of the Bears’ undrafted rookie class this year and has played in each of their past three games, notching three tackles over 46 defensive snaps. Meanwhile, Marsh — who was signed to the practice squad on November 3– has been in the league for eight seasons and has recorded a combined 14 sacks and 175 total tackles in the span.
Bears Activate David Montgomery, ‘Expected’ Workload Emerges