On Wednesday, David Montgomery slipped during non-contact drills and suffered a groin injury. The severity isn't fully known yet, though there's apparently optimism that it's not a season ending injury. A lot of Twitter Doctors think it's a 4-6 week injury, for what that's worth.
Meanwhile, the Bears are in a pickle. They weren't a good running team with Montgomery. Now their running game features a pass-catching back, two practice squad guys, and a kick returner. If Montgomery's going to miss significant time, Ryan Pace and co. would be well-suited to dip their toes in the free agent market. So who's available? Buckle up, this article is a bummer:
Devonta Freeman
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I'm convinced that Freeman's on everyone's list because he's the first free agent back listed on Spotrac. Freeman, 28, is a two-time Pro Bowler with Atlanta who rushed for 656 yards, and had 410 receiving yards with six TDs in 2019. If that underwhelms you, just wait. The vet apparently passed on a deal with Seattle earlier in the summer, saying, "You don't have to be the best, but if you got that dog mentality and want to win, we can deal with that. I want to be around guys who want to be great, even if they're not great." It doesn't seem like Freeman would be sold on coming into Chicago for 25% of a season, but that's 25% more than he's pegged to play right now, so.
Bilal Powell
Like Bears Insider J.J. Stankevitz said on the latest episode of the Under Center Podcast, the Bears should embrace their destiny and corner the market on NFL players named Bilal. It's arguably more important than any on-field fit that Powell may or may not fill. Powell can do a little bit of everything: he's been a solid rotation runner, has good career numbers catching the ball, and can pass block. He's also 31, which, unless you're Frank Gore, doesn't inspire a whole lot of optimism. He'd be a good stopgap, though, and again: Assemble The Bilals.
Royce Freeman
NFL
Freeman's been the second-string back in Denver since he was drafted in the 3rd round back in 2018. His numbers through his first two years – 1017 rushing yards, 328 receiving yards, and eight TDs – are not inspiring, but that's sort of the day's theme here. Melvin Gordon's presence in Denver could open up Freeman for the right price, though it'd be via trade. Does Ryan Pace want to give up assets for a player that will, realistically, make a limited impact in 2020? I'm asking you, I don't know.
Just Wing It, Baby
This is the most chaotic timeline: the Bears do absolutely nothing and head to Detroit with Tarik Cohen, Cordarrelle Patterson, Ryan Nall, and maybe Artavis Pierce. It's crazy, it's dangerous, but damn if it's not fun. That personnel group would be like if a team wanted to build an entire running attack out of only gadget plays. Run the T 20 times a game, have Cordarrelle Patterson run reverse sweep pitches to wingback Tarik Cohen and let's just DO IT.