The Dallas Cowboys could bring in a former highly touted running back.
According to KD Drummond of USA Today Sports, Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery is a potential free agent target of the Cowboys. Montgomery has served as a starter for the Bears over the past three seasons, showing off his versatility in the process. The 25-year-old back ran for over 1,000 yards during the 2020 season in addition to catching 54 passes, ranking fifth in the NFL among all running backs in that category.
Montgomery Nicknamed ‘Frankenstein’ Due to Versatility
The former third-round draft pick was given the nickname of “Frankenstein” by ESPN 2 due to his versatility. Coming out of the draft, Montgomery was seen as possessing the footwork of Saquon Barkley, the field vision of Le’Veon Bell, the strength of Ezekiel Elliott and the athleticism of Sony Michel.
“The graphic is from ESPN2 and looks to have been shown during an Iowa State game,” said Matt Eurich of 247 Sports in April of 2019. “Montgomery is described as ‘Frankenstein’ with some incredible comparisons to current NFL players.
Those comparisons should be viewed more as a guideline than actual gospel with Montgomery. It does not mean he will be some superhuman version of those four backs put together, rather it shows that he possesses a lot of the tools required to be a productive back in the NFL.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Montgomery has produced a 68.4 offensive grade this season. Those grades are obviously below the Cowboys’ current running backs, Tony Pollard (90.4 grade) and Ezekiel Elliott (73.3 grade).
With that being said, Montgomery has a lot less wear-and-tear on his tires than Elliott. Although he carried the ball a good amount of times over the course of his first two seasons — he ranked fourth in the league in carries in 2020 with 247 attempts — he has served in a dual committee backfield over the past two seasons with Khalil Herbert.
Over the past two seasons, Montgomery has carried the ball 319 times (59 percent) in comparison to Herbert’s share of 222 carries (41 percent) despite missing four games this season.
According to Spotrac, Montgomery’s projected market value is $7.2 million per season across three years.
Cowboys Need a Potential RB Replacement in 2023
In a scenario where the Cowboys do allow Elliott to walk — there is an out in his contract with a dead cap hit of just under $12 million during the 2023 offseason — Dallas would need a second back to pair with Pollard.
As dynamic as Pollard is, he has yet to prove he can be a full-time back in the NFL. In fact, Pollard has carried the ball more than 20 times in a game just once in his career and has had at least 15 rushing attempts in a game on four different occasions. It’s a big reason why team owner Jerry Jones outlined Elliott’s value to the Cowboys while he was sidelined due to injury.
“There’s no argument,” Jones said back in October. “Zeke’s ability to punish, Zeke’s ability to deliver, Zeke’s ability, what he does for us in pass protection, and, frankly, Zeke’s ability to make big plays are there, and we’re going to go where Zeke goes. He’s that integral to our success.”
However, with Elliott possessing a $15 million cap hit next season — second-highest among running backs — the Cowboys may have to look elsewhere for his replacement. The 25-year-old Montgomery might end up becoming that option.
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Cowboys Could Sign ‘Frankenstein’ Athlete From NFC Rival: Analyst