Believe it or not, the Chicago Bears highest-graded player on offense at the midseason mark, per Pro Football Focus, isn’t wide receiver Allen Robinson. Instead, it’s running back David Montgomery.
You read that right. The Bears’ anemic running game, one that ranks 31st in the NFL at 85.6 yards per game, has produced Chicago’s best offensive player.
Montgomery’s 80.5 is just a tick better than A-Rob’s 80.4, so his reign as the head of the class might be short-lived.
Pro Football Focus’ grade is helpful in understanding where the running game’s deficiencies lie. The offensive line has been an embarrassment and it’s been especially bad when Chicago tries to run the ball. The interior linemen — Rashaad Coward and Germain Ifedi — just haven’t been good enough.
Montgomery, who ran 21 times for 89 yards against a tough Saints defense in Week 8, has made the most out of a bad situation in 2020 and is proving his value to the Bears as a receiver in Tarik Cohen’s absence. He has more catches (27) and receiving yards (200) in eight games than he had in his entire rookie year.
Montgomery’s effective outing Sunday against New Orleans improved his yards per carry to 3.8 this season, up from 3.7 a year ago.
The second half of the Bears’ season includes games against the Lions, Jaguars, Texans, and Vikings (twice), giving Montgomery an opportunity to pad his box score and push for the first 1,000-yard season of his career.
