On Thursday, the Jets signed swiss army knife running back Ty Montgomery to serve as the No. 2 running back in place of Bilal Powell.
Montgomery is a force in the backfield, who will not only give the Jets depth at running back, but can help in the return game as well. With Le’Veon Bell, Montgomery, Elijah McGuire and Trenton Cannon in the fold at running back, Adam Gase now has an assortment of weapons to work with at the position.
Now that he’s a member of the Jets, let’s get to know Montgomery a bit better. Here are four things to know about New York’s newest tailback.
Standout Wide Receiver at Stanford
Before moving to the backfield full time, Ty Montgomery made his name as a standout wide receiver at Stanford from 2011-14.
As a junior, Montgomery was a consensus All-American return specialist, leading the nation with a 31.2-yard kickoff return average. He also scored two return touchdowns.
During his career at Stanford, Montgomery caught 172 passes for 2,125 yards and 15 touchdowns. At running back, Montgomery carried the ball 39 times for 334 yards and four touchdowns.
In addition to being named an All-American, Montgomery was First-team All-Pac 12 in 2013.
Declared a Running Back in 2016
Ty Montgomery was only a wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers for a short stint before Mike McCarthy switched him to the backfield.
As a rookie, Montgomery caught only 15 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns in an injury-shortened season that saw him land on injured reserve in Week 6 due to an ankle injury. Once he returned to the field the following season, he was moved to running back out of necessity.
After injuries to James Starks and Eddie Lacy, Montgomery began to see time in the backfield. It wasn’t until December of 2016 that McCarthy officially declared Montgomery as a running back, but he still stuck with No. 88.
Traded to Ravens after going on ‘rouge return’
In his last game with the Packers, Montgomery disobeyed his coaches, taking matters into his own hands and costing his team a win in the process.
Green Bay hosted the Los Angeles Rams at home for a critical NFC matchup in October. After the Rams kicked a field goal to take a two-point lead, Montgomery decided to take the ball out of the end zone on a return. He promptly fumbled the ball and Los Angeles recovered.
Montgomery was told to take a touchback instead of taking the ball out of the end zone. However, he was upset with his reduced role in Green Bay’s offense and returned the kick in protest.
The Packers traded Montgomery to the Baltimore Ravens two days later in exchange for a 2020 seventh-round pick.
Carrier of Sickle-Cell Trait
Montgomery learned he was a sickle-cell trait carrier in his days at Stanford. Those with sickle-cell trait are more likely to experience muscle breakdown when doing intense exercise than those who don’t have the trait.
However, Montgomery has not let that stop him. He decided to play in a 2017 preseason game in Denver, knowing the risks associated with playing in high-altitude.
In 2016, Montgomery sat out a game against the Falcons as a precautionary measure when doctors found blood in his urine. The medical staff believed Montgomery’s symptoms were related to the sickle-cell trait, but he did not miss any time the rest of the year because of it.
Fortunately for New York’s newest running back, the Jets will not be playing in any high-altitude away games this season.
