The Likely Play That Sold Matt Nagy on David Montgomery

GM Ryan Pace became a fan of David Montgomery after watching him live in the Alamo Bowl between Iowa State and Washington State. He pinpointed a play inside the red zone where the running back navigated the trash between the tackles for a tremendous touchdown. Something the Chicago Bears didn't have enough of in 2018.

However, Pace wasn't the only person that needed convincing Montgomery could be the primary focal point of the offense. The entire reason Jordan Howard was traded was because of Matt Nagy. The head coach couldn't use him in all the ways he wanted. Specifically in regards to the passing game. Howard just couldn't move around the field and create matchups as a receiver.

He didn't have the route running knowledge or quickness to create space for him. More than anything, he wasn't a natural receiver. Nagy explained the reasoning behind this earlier this year and what exactly he's looking for.

“Do they have natural hands? What you see in the college game right now, the hashes are a lot wider than ours, so a lot of the backs in college aren’t running some of the routes we do, not just here in Chicago, but with other NFL teams, because of the limited space from the hash to the sideline. So you have to be able to go out and test them.”

One play back likely put David Montgomery on Nagy's priority list

Due to the nature of the Iowa State offense, Montgomery wasn't used in the passing game as much as he could've been. Many times he was open for check downs or on routes from the slot but the quarterback failed to find him. However, there was one play that stood out back in 2017. A play that showcased exactly how dangerous he could be.

Everything about this play demonstrates Montgomery's natural receiving talent. The pass itself isn't perfect. It forces him to turn his body back to the ball in order to make the catch. Then he uses his vision and underrated speed to get to the next level before the defense can close down the opening. Too little, too late.

Montgomery goes for 46 yards on this play in large part thanks to some phenomenal running across the field. Everything great about him was on display. Several of which were things Howard never did in Chicago. Nagy, for his part, saw exactly what he wanted. Somebody who could stress the defense horizontally as well as vertically.