David Montgomery returns to practice as the Chicago Bears evaluate the running back’s potential return from IR

Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery returned to the practice field Thursday at Halas Hall for the first time since spraining his left knee in the Oct. 3 victory over the Detroit Lions.

The Bears opened Montgomery’s three-week window to return from injured reserve, and coach Matt Nagy left open the possibility Montgomery could play Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

Nagy said the Bears will evaluate how Montgomery looks in practice before determining whether he will play or wait until after the upcoming bye week.

“He has worked really hard to get to this point,” Nagy said. “It probably feels like forever to him, and I know it feels like that for us too. He was having such a great year, so now we’ll see where it goes. But it’s good timing if we are able to get him back and get him going because he’s grown into such a tremendous leader for that offense. … When you’re not around as much, the guys, you miss that. And now to be able to get him back in those huddles is great.”

Montgomery, a 2019 third-round pick, had 69 carries for 309 yards and three touchdowns and six catches for 49 yards in four games. That included two outings of more than 100 rushing yards, in the opener against the Los Angeles Rams and against the Lions.

When Montgomery went down on a 5-yard carry in the fourth quarter against the Lions, it felt like a serious loss for a struggling Bears offense.

“David’s an offensive leader,” Bears quarterback Justin Fields said. “He’s a vocal leader. He’s a hard worker. He’s a hard runner, so of course we’re glad to have him back this week. And I’m assuming that he’s not going to skip a beat, just based on how hard he works.”

Rookie Khalil Herbert, who had been playing primarily on special teams, stepped in well for Montgomery. He totaled 351 yards and a touchdown on 81 carries over four-plus games, playing an even bigger role while veteran Damien Williams missed time because of COVID-19 and a knee injury. Herbert’s performance included his first career 100-yard rushing game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Running backs coach Michael Pitre said earlier this week Herbert was able to seize the opportunity because of his preparation and willingness to ask questions.

“He’s just a guy who has natural vision, but it’s all set up with the other 10 guys on the field doing their jobs, which allows him to go do his job,” Pitre said. “He has a very good feel for our scheme, what we do. And the offensive line, tight ends, receivers, all those guys are doing a great job blocking their tails off. It makes it really easy for him to be able to do his job.”

The experience helped Herbert feel more comfortable. So did Montgomery’s guidance along the way, from pointing out things on film to discussing plays on the sideline during home games.

Nagy indicated whenever Montgomery returns he will again be the Bears top running back. But Nagy said he wouldn’t call it a problem that he now can choose from two options who have played well, especially after the Bears temporarily were without both Herbert and Williams because of injuries in Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Williams didn’t practice Thursday as he continues to recover from a knee injury.

“David’s worked extremely hard to be the running back on this football team, to be the guy,” Nagy said. “It’s good to be able to get those two guys together. Khalil has shown what he’s able to do. We feel really good about that. If anything, it allows us to feel really strong at that position and we’ll be able to use them both.”

Herbert said Montgomery was “fired up” to return and already was watching film on the Steelers last week to prepare. And while Montgomery’s return might mean fewer carries for the rookie, Herbert said he felt good about sharing the load.

“We both can make plays,” Herbert said. “And defenses have got to plan for both of us.”

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