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New Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery took another opportunity to throw shade at his former Chicago Bears team during this week’s OTAs — and Bears fans were none too pleased with the NFC North defector.
During an interview for the Lions Gaming series that featured him playing NBA 2K23 with teammates C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Montgomery reflected on his time with the Bears over the past four seasons and claimed playing for them during their 3-14 season in 2022 “sucked the fun out of the game” for him.
“That’s all I was used to,” Montgomery told Gardner-Johnson in regard to the Bears’ recent struggles. “And it got to a point where it sucked the fun out of the game for me because I’m a competitor. I like to compete. That’s what football’s about. It’s so refreshing to be in a place where that’s appreciated.”
It didn’t take long for Montgomery’s critical comments to go viral and reach Bears fans, who had some of their own criticism to throw back at the 2019 third-round pick.
“Fun fact: David Montgomery was a part of the reason why Chicago’s offense was bad for pretty much his entire rookie contract,” Johnathan Wood of Da Bears Blog tweeted in response. “Handing that many carries to a bad runner really hinders your offense.”
“Man was kissing Justin Fields as he left the Bears locker room,” Bears fan/content creator Max Markham tweeted about Montgomery not feeling appreciated. “He was barely in Detroit a month before they drafted his replacement. DMo is coping, hard.”
David Montgomery to Fight Rookie for Lions Carries
The Bears had signaled they were interested in re-signing Montgomery heading into the 2023 offseason with general manager Ryan Poles even calling him “part of the identity” that helped make the team “competitive in 2022. Ultimately, though, Montgomery opted to take a three-year, $18 million deal to move to another part of the North.
“I would just kind of sum it up by saying players do have a choice,” Poles said in March losing Montgomery, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “I thought we communicated well. I thought we negotiated well. At the same time, you don’t always know what’s going on in the background. But I thought we did a good job, we were transparent, we were organized and it just … didn’t happen. It felt like it was really, really close, though.”
Initially, the move to Detroit looked like it may offer Montgomery more opportunities to carry the ball with Jamaal Williams moving on and D’Andre Swift the only other running mate in the Lions backfield with him. He had primarily worked in a rotation during his years in Chicago, especially with Khalil Herbert hitting a new gear in 2022.
The outlook changed, though, about a month later when the Lions used their No. 12 overall pick on Alabama star running back Jahmyr Gibbs, adding a prized rookie and a presumptive future lead back to the equation to compete for carries with Montgomery. Now, the Lions did trade Swift to Philadelphia to de-clutter the room some, but Gibbs being such a high selection suggest Montgomery could be headed for a backseat role.
Bears Added Multiple Pieces to RB Room for 2023
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GettyBears running back Khalil Herbert.
The Bears were not able to keep Montgomery from leaving in free agency, but their running back stable might have gotten even stronger since his departure.
Part of the reason why the Bears didn’t need to retain Montgomery at all costs was the emergence of Herbert, a 2021 sixth-rounder who has exceeded expectations over his first two seasons in Chicago. Herbert had the eighth-most yards per carry (5.7) in the NFL in 2022 and led all running backs when limited to backs with at least 100 carries. In 129 total carries on the season, he gained 731 yards and scored four touchdowns.
In comparison, Montgomery carried the ball 72 more times than Herbert (201) and finished with just 70 more yards (801) and one more touchdown. It still added up to the Bears being the No. 1 rushing offense in the league, but a good portion of that credit also went to Justin Fields’ rushing breakout of 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Bears also added some quality running mates for Herbert after Montgomery’s exit. They signed D’Onta Foreman to a one-year deal after he rushed for 914 yards and five touchdowns for Carolina in 2022, stepping up after the Christian McCaffrey trade. They also used one of their fourth-round picks on Texas standout Roschon Johnson, who may give them a long-term solution at the position if Herbert doesn’t work out.
Suffice it to say, the Bears won’t be losing sleep about Montgomery’s departure.
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