David Montgomery (American football)

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David Montgomery
refer to caption
Montgomery at 2018 Big 12 Media Days
No. 32 – Chicago Bears
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1997-06-07) June 7, 1997 (age 24)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Mount Healthy
College:Iowa State (2016–2018)
NFL Draft:2019 / Round: 3 / Pick: 73
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2021
Rushing yards:2,808
Rushing average:3.9
Rushing touchdowns:21
Receptions:121
Receiving yards:924
Receiving touchdowns:3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

David Montgomery (born June 7, 1997)[1] is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Bears in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft after playing college football with the Iowa State Cyclones. [2]

High school career[]

Growing up in the Cincinnati Ohio area, he is an Eagle Scout[3] in addition to being a standout prep dual threat quarterback. Over his four-year career, he rushed for 6,666 yards and 91 touchdowns.[4] In 2015, he was named the Division III Ohio Player of the Year[5] as well as the Southwest District Offensive Player of the Year.[6] His senior season rushing total of 2,707 was good enough for the 21st best single season performance in Ohio high school history.[7] He posted seven 200-yard games and three 300-yard games, including one 373 yard performance.[8]

Recruiting[]

Despite a record-breaking high school career, Montgomery was only lightly recruited to continue his football career in college. He was only recruited by Miami (OH), Ball State, Buffalo, and Iowa State. He eventually committed to the Cyclones.[9]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
David Montgomery
RB 		Cincinnati, Ohio Mount Healthy 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 2, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 1,203, 55 (OH), 74 (RB)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Iowa State Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  • "2016 Iowa State Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.

College career[]

2016 season[]

As a true freshman in 2016, Montgomery played in all 12 games and started the final four contests. He led the team in rushing with 563 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.[10] This was good enough to be the second-best freshman performance in school history. In his second career start he rushed 169 yards on 24 carries to defeat Kansas.[11] He was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for that performance.[12] He finished the season with 141 yards rushing and 45 yards receiving against West Virginia.[13]

At the conclusion of the season Montgomery was named to the honorable mention Freshman All-America team by Campus Insiders.[14]

2017 season[]

Montgomery's break out season was in 2017. He led the Cyclones in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage with 1,095 and 1,383 respectively.[1] He finished second in the Big 12 in rushing yards and touchdowns behind only Justice Hill.[15] Montgomery led the nation in forced missed tackles with 104, breaking the previous record of 89 set by Dalvin Cook.[16] Against Iowa he ran for 113 yards, rushed for a touchdown, and had 53 yards on receptions.[17] In an upset win at #3 Oklahoma, Montgomery ran for 55 yards and a touchdown and caught 7 passes for 89 yards.[18] He had a career day against Texas Tech rushing for 164 yards on 28 attempts, averaging 5.9 yards per play.[19] Montgomery had a three straight 100 yard performances against West Virginia,[20] Oklahoma State,[21] and Baylor[22] with 115, 105, and 144 yards respectively including three touchdowns against the Cowboys.

Montgomery received multiple accolades at the end of the regular season. He was named a first-team All-American by Pro Football Focus[23] as well as consensus first-team All-Big 12.[24]

2018 season[]

Montgomery started the season slow, but had a string of four straight 100-yard games with five touchdowns from mid-September to mid-October, and ended the season with another string of three straight 100-yard games with six touchdowns, including 179 yards from scrimmage in the 2018 Alamo Bowl loss to Washington State.[25] Montgomery finished the 2018 season with 1,216 rushing yards (second in the Big 12 to Alex Barnes) and 13 rushing touchdowns (second to Sam Ehlinger).[26]

College statistics[]

Rushing Receiving
Year Team GP GS Att Yards Avg TDs Rec Yards Avg TDs
2016 Iowa State 12 4 109 563 5.2 2 13 129 9.9 0
2017 Iowa State 13 13 258 1,147 4.4 11 36 296 8.2 0
2018 Iowa State 12 11 257 1,216 4.7 13 22 157 7.1 0
College Totals 37 28 624 2,926 4.7 26 71 582 8.4 0
Reference:[27]

Professional career[]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10+1⁄8 in
(1.78 m) 		222 lb
(101 kg) 		31+3⁄8 in
(0.80 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.63 s 28.5 in
(0.72 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		 15 reps
All values from NFL Combine[28]

On January 7, 2019, Montgomery announced that he would forgo his final season of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.[29] ESPN2 dubbed Montgomery the "Frankenstein" of running backs for possessing similar physical traits of different NFL running backs, including the footwork of Saquon Barkley, the field vision of Le'Veon Bell, the strength of Ezekiel Elliott and the athleticism of Sony Michel.[30] The Chicago Bears drafted Montgomery in the third round with the 73rd overall pick in the draft.[31] Montgomery signed a four-year rookie contract with the team on June 14.[32]

2019 season[]

Montgomery in a game against the Washington Redskins

Montgomery made his NFL debut with the Chicago Bears in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. In that game, Montgomery rushed for 18 yards on six attempts and caught one pass for 27 yards as the Bears lost 10–3.[33] In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, Montgomery rushed 18 times for 62 yards and his first career NFL touchdown as the Bears won 16–14.[34] Though utilized more than teammate Tarik Cohen, Montgomery failed to reach 70 yards in any of the Bears' first seven games. After 11 carries for 25 yards in Week 6 and a disastrous two rushes for six yards and a fumble in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints, Montgomery responded in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers with 27 rushes for an NFL-second best 135 yards and a touchdown in the 17–16 loss.[35] In Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Montgomery rushed 14 times for 40 yards and two touchdowns in the 22–14 loss. This was Montgomery's first game with multiple rushing touchdowns of his career.[36] In Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings, Montgomery rushed 23 times for 113 yards and a touchdown during the 21–19 win.[37] Overall, Montgomery finished his rookie season with 889 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.[38]

2020 season[]

Montgomery remained the team's feature running back heading into the 2020 season. Before the regular season began, head coach Matt Nagy emphasized the offense would prioritize establishing a run game.[39]

He opened the season with 64 rushing yards on 13 attempts en route to a 27–23 comeback win against the Detroit Lions. [40] In Week 2 against the New York Giants, Montgomery rushed 16 times for 82 yards and caught three passes for 45 yards and his first receiving touchdown of the season during the 17–13 win.[41]

Montgomery suffered a concussion during the Bears' Week 9 loss to the Tennessee Titans. He subsequently missed the team's Week 10 contest while recovering.[42] The Bears rushing attack ranked last in the NFL with 82.3 yards-per-game at this point in the season. Nagy handed over play-calling responsibilities to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.[43] Montgomery returned for the Bears' Week 12 match-up against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, where he totaled 143 yards from scrimmage and recorded a receiving touchdown in a 41–25 loss.[44] In his second game back from the concussion, Montgomery rushed for 72 yards with two rushing touchdowns during a 34–30 loss against the Detroit Lions.[45]

In Week 14 against the Houston Texans, he amassed 113 rushing yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the Bears' opening offensive possession.[46] The score was the fourth-longest run in Bears history and the team's first opening-play touchdown since 1995.[47] Montgomery finished the game with 155 yards from scrimmage in a 36–7 victory over the Houston Texans.[46] During the Bears' 33–27 Week 15 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Montgomery rushed for a career-high 146 yards with two touchdowns on 32 carries.[48] The following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he ran for 95 yards and a touchdown during the 41–17 win as he surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season, becoming the first Bears running back to do so since Jordan Howard in 2017.[49] In Week 17 against the Green Bay Packers, Montgomery recorded 132 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown during the 35–16 loss.[50]

Montgomery finished the 2020 regular season with 247 rushes for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns.[51] His 1,070 rushing yards ranked fifth in the NFL.[51] He also caught 54 passes for 438 yards and two touchdowns.[51]

2021 season[]

Montgomery rushed for 309 yards on 69 carries with three touchdowns through first four games of the 2021 NFL season.[52] He suffered a knee sprain in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions. [52] and was placed on injured reserve on October 9, 2021, and was expected to miss 4-5 weeks.[52][53] He had the fifth most rushing yards in the league until his injury.[54] He was activated on November 8 for the team's Week 9 game.[55]

NFL Statistics[]

Regular Season Statistics
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2019 CHI 16 8 242 889 3.7 55 6 25 185 7.4 30 1 2 2
2020 CHI 15 14 247 1,070 4.3 80T 8 54 438 8.1 28 2 1 1
2021 CHI 13 13 225 849 3.8 41 7 42 301 7.2 16 0 1 1
Total 44 35 714 2,808 3.9 80T 21 121 924 7.6 30 3 4 4
Playoff Statistics
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2020 CHI 1 1 12 31 2.6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 1 1 12 31 2.6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life[]

Montgomery had a difficult childhood. He does not know his father, and his mother moved the family numerous times around Cincinnati due to economic hardship. He remembers using the oven for heat, and boiling water collected from gas stations in the bath tub when either was disconnected. He has a brother who was incarcerated for drug trafficking and murder. After scoring a touchdown, Montgomery frequently holds up a "V"-sign in memory of a high school teammate and role model who was murdered during a home invasion.[56]

While he was with Iowa State, Montgomery was chosen as a semi-finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award for his efforts in befriending Hunter Erb, a 6-year-old who was born with multiple congenital heart defects, and orchestrating a team visit to Marshalltown, Iowa to help clean up after a tornado.[57]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "David Montgomery - Football". Iowa State University Athletics. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Playoff QB Mayfield top Big 12 offensive player for 2nd time". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017.
  3. ^ Peterson, Randy (August 3, 2017). "Peterson: Iowa State's David Montgomery is the key to an offense with a key to a city". Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "David Montgomery's High School Timeline". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  5. ^ Dyer, Mike (December 1, 2016). "Mount Healthy's David Montgomery named Division III state offensive player of the year". The Enquirer. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  6. ^ "Montgomery honored as Division III OPOY". Tristate Football. December 2, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  7. ^ Dyer, Mike (December 7, 2017). "Former Mount Healthy High School football standout David Montgomery named an All-American". WCPO Cincinnati. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "Southwest Ohio Conference". swocsports.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  9. ^ "David Montgomery, Iowa State Cyclones, Running Back". 247Sports. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "2016 Iowa State Cyclones Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  11. ^ "Iowa State rallies to beat Kansas 31-24". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 12, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  12. ^ Birch, Tommy (November 14, 2016). "Iowa State's Montgomery named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week". Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  13. ^ "No. 18 West Virginia rolls past Iowa State 49-19". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 26, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  14. ^ Cirminiello, Rich (December 13, 2016). "2016 Freshman All-American Team". Watch Stadium. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  15. ^ "2017 Big 12 Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  16. ^ Stansbury, Jared (November 28, 2017). "David Montgomery breaks PFF record for missed tackles forced". CycloneFanatic.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  17. ^ "Iowa vs. Iowa State – Game Summary – September 9, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  18. ^ Single, Eric (October 7, 2017). "Iowa State stuns Oklahoma on late Allen Lazard TD". SI.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  19. ^ "Kempt throws 3 TDs, Iowa State dumps Texas Tech 31–13". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Associated Press. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  20. ^ "Iowa State vs. West Virginia – Game Summary – November 4, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  21. ^ "Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State – Game Summary – November 11, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  22. ^ "Iowa State vs. Baylor – Game Summary – November 18, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  23. ^ Birch, Tommy (December 6, 2017). "Iowa State's Montgomery named All-American by Pro Football Focus". Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  24. ^ Mozey, Brian (November 20, 2017). "Matt Campbell and players on Big 12 honors, David Montgomery, Bryce Meeker". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  25. ^ "David Montgomery 2018 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  26. ^ Springer, Scott (September 4, 2019). "Mt. Healthy alum, Chicago Bears rookie David Montgomery has defied odds in his path to victory". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  27. ^ "David Montgomery College Stats - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  28. ^ "David Montgomery Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  29. ^ Birch, Tommy (January 7, 2019). "Iowa State running back David Montgomery enters NFL Draft". Des Moines Register. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  30. ^ Hartitz, Ian (May 18, 2020). "Can David Montgomery boom with elite volume?". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  31. ^ Finley, Patrick (April 26, 2019). "Bears trade up, take Iowa State running back David Montgomery". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  32. ^ Campbell, Rich (June 14, 2019). "Bears sign top draft pick David Montgomery to 4-year rookie contract". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  33. ^ "Packers D, Aaron Rodgers beat Bears 10–3 in opener". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  34. ^ Stapleton, Arnie Melendrez (September 15, 2019). "Pineiro's 53-yard field goal lifts Bears past Broncos 16–14". www.espn.com. Associated Press. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  35. ^ "Rivers, Chargers beat Bears 17–16 after Pineiro misses FG". www.espn.com. Associated Press. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  36. ^ "Wentz, Howard lead Eagles past Bears 22–14". www.espn.com. Associated Press. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  37. ^ "Bears edge Vikings 21–19 on Piñeiro FG with 10 seconds left". www.espn.com. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  38. ^ "David Montgomery 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  39. ^ Stankevitz, JJ (September 24, 2020). "Stankevitz: Believe it or not, Nagy wants to run in 2020". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  40. ^ "Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions – September 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  41. ^ "Trubisky 2 TD passes, Barkley hurt as Bears edge Giants". ESPN. Associated Press. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  42. ^ Finley, Patrick (November 23, 2020). "Bears RB David Montgomery at practice after missing game with concussion". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  43. ^ Wiederer, Dan (November 13, 2020). "Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy is handing over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor: 'We need to do what's best for us'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  44. ^ "Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – November 29th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  45. ^ Finley, Patrick (December 6, 2020). "Bears RB David Montgomery: 'I came up short' on final run". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  46. ^ a b Dickerson, Jeff (December 13, 2020). "Mitchell Trubisky outduels Deshaun Watson as Chicago Bears' losing streak ends at six". ESPN. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  47. ^ Mayer, Larry (December 13, 2020). "Chalk Talk: When was Bears' last TD on first play?". Chicago Bears. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  48. ^ Kane, Colleen (December 20, 2020). "Week 15 recap: Chicago Bears keep their playoff hopes alive with a 33-27 victory over the Minnesota Vikings". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  49. ^ Lieser, Jason (December 27, 2020). "David Montgomery is Bears' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  50. ^ "Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears - January 3rd, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  51. ^ a b c Barbieri, Alyssa (December 30, 2020). "Bears RB David Montgomery has the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL". MSN. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  52. ^ a b c Kane, Colleen; Wiederer, Dan (October 5, 2021). "Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery figures to be out until November and the team has traded for returner Jakeem Grant. Here's what it all means". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  53. ^ Mayer, Larry (October 9, 2021). "Roster Moves: Bears activate Trevathan from IR". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  54. ^ Benjamin, Cody (October 5, 2021). "Bears' David Montgomery expected to miss at least four weeks with knee injury, could be out until Week 11". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  55. ^ Mayer, Larry (November 8, 2021). "Roster Moves: Bears activate Montgomery, flex two others". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  56. ^ Springer, Scott (September 4, 2019). "Mt. Healthy alum, Chicago Bears rookie David Montgomery has defied odds in his path to victory". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  57. ^ Montz, Dylan (November 15, 2018). "Football: David Montgomery named a semifinalist for Witten man of the year award". Ames Tribune. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

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