With the Chicago Bears' coaching staff almost complete, the team will now focus on the offensive and defensive schemes that head coach Matt Eberflus will deploy moving forward. On offense, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will be the most significant coach when it comes to the development of quarterback Justin Fields. Although Fields' development will be the main focus of the new coaching staff, running back David Montgomery will be vital for the execution of the offense.

Getsy Needs To Better Utilizing David Montgomery Than Matt Nagy Did

When the Bears hired Matt Nagy as their coach in January of 2018, he wasn't fond of then starting running back Jordan Howard as the running back didn't fit the new offensive scheme. Despite Howard compiling over 2,435 rushing yards in his first two seasons, Nagy did not like that the Pro Bowl running back was not a viable pass-catching threat. Chicago would trade up in the 2019 NFL Draft to select Montgomery in the third round due to his pass-catching ability. Nagy's offensive scheme relied on the running back position to be used in the passing game on short and mid-level routes. The production created in both the running game and passing game by former Chiefs' running back Kareem Hunt was what the Bears' head coach envisioned for Montgomery when the team drafted him in 2019. Despite Chicago's starting running back being highly productive as a rusher, he wasn't as heavily utilized as a receiver by Nagy over the past two seasons. In 2020, Montgomery's late-season production helped the Bears make a playoff push. The running back would rush for 598 yards in Chicago's final six games of the season while also being targeted 27 times and recording 24 receptions. Montgomery's last six games would count for more than half of his 2020 final stats. The issue with the production is that Nagy was not the play-caller for the Bears' last seven games of the 2020 season as offensive coordinator Bill Lazor took over play-calling duties in Week 10.

Last season, although Montgomery missed four games with a knee injury, his production was better under Lazor than Nagy. Chicago's running back averaged only three targets and two receptions per game before his knee injury, with Nagy calling plays on offense. When Montgomery returned in Week 9, his role in the passing game increased as Lazor was the play-caller once again. The running back would average close to five targets and four receptions in the final nine games of the year as the Bears' offense was more productive towards the end of the season. Although Montgomery was the ideal back for Nagy's offensive scheme, Chicago's head coach never seemed to make the running back the main focus of the offense. In 2019, the rookie running back was utilized several times on deep-passing routes, whether on wheel routes or fly routes over the middle, but those passing plays were not seen in the last two seasons. Montgomery was rarely used on traditional running back screens under Nagy, which confused analysts and fans.

Getsy's Offense Needs A Running Back To Set The Tone

Chicago's new offensive coordinator will deploy an offensive scheme similar to 49ers' head coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive scheme. Some of the features of Shanahan's offense include zone block for running plays, half-field reads for the quarterback, and play-action boot designs. For the offensive scheme to be completely successful, a team deploying this offensive scheme must have an effective running back. The Shanahan offense is at its best when a running back is a threat, which helps sell the play-action on passing plays, freezing defenders momentarily. Getsy's offensive scheme will help make reading the field easier for Fields heading into his second season in the NFL. Montgomery will play a vital role as Chicago's new offensive coordinator will need to have a successful running game to help set up the passing game. If defenders aren't threatened by the Bears' running back, Fields will face more difficulty executing play-action passing plays.

Shanahan's offense has been successful because of the efficiency of their running game, as running back Elijah Mitchell and wide receiver Deebo Samuel combined for 1,257 rushing yards this past season, which resulted in the 49ers finishing seventh in the NFL in rushing yards. When the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl three years ago, they ranked second in rushing yards as running backs Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert combined for over 1,392 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. San Francisco's running game success is significant as Montgomery can be a workhorse back if used correctly. During the three seasons under Nagy, Chicago's starting running back only had 14 games in which he recorded 20 or more rushing attempts. Getsy will need to establish the run with Montgomery to help set up the passing game for Fields and the Bears wide receivers. Chicago's offensive coordinator will also need to utilize the running back in the passing game as a potential pass-catching threat to create further unpredictability.

Montgomery has been productive during his first three seasons with the Bears despite his lack of use by the team's former head coach. Although Getsy's offensive play-calling will be judged on the success of Fields, Chicago's running back will be needed to help jumpstart the new offense. Fans and the media have been impressed by what Montgomery has achieved so far in his young career, but he may be on the verge of something bigger if used properly by Getsy.