NEWSLETTER
This is the most creative running back hype video I’ve ever seen:
The Bears’ version of “Run DMC” (emphasis on Run) stars rookie Mike Davis, David Montgomery, and Tarik Cohen, and they should be fun to watch in the year to come. Good luck to defenses loading up to stop one of those guys, especially when it’s conceivably that two of them can be on the field at the same time in any given moment.
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky is certainly looking forward to working with that trio in the backfield, referring to them as a “three-headed monster” while catching up with the Chicago Tribune’s Rich Campbell. Trubisky has a firm belief that these multi-faceted backs will thrive in Head Coach Matt Nagy’s offense, and league analysts already seem to be co-signing on that idea.
Christian D’Andrea (SB Nation) calls DMC a top-5 running back group, with only the Browns, Broncos, Patriots, and 49ers ranking ahead of the Bears’ band of ball carriers. Ben Cooper (Pro Football Focus) believes bringing Montgomery into the running backs room gives Chicago one of the best in the league. Montgomery’s tackle-breaking skills and ability to gain yards after contact helped him become one of the best running back prospects, and should make him an ideal candidate to share the bulk of the carries with Cohen as a complimentary back. But where does that leave Davis?
Anthony Treash (PFF) takes a look at Andy Reid and how two branches from his tree use run-pass option plays in their respective offenses. Reid’s Chiefs (25.0%), Nagy’s Bears (19.2%), and Doug Pederson’s Eagles (14.5%) use RPOs the most in football, so it’s noteworthy that the Bears signed Davis to a free agent contract. Davis earned a 77.2 rushing grade when running out of RPOs last year, which was the second best in football. Having Davis’ experience and quality results in an oft-used offensive set should help the Bears buy time for Montgomery, who didn’t have a ton of RPO experience, but still posted a 75.8 rushing grade (11th best among draft-eligible running backs) and forced 0.35 missed tackles per attempt (second best in his draft class) last year at Iowa State.
And then there’s Cohen, who is dangerous everywhere on the field, but *ESPECIALLY* when in the slot:
Tarik Cohen is dangerous out of the slot! pic.twitter.com/QUSzGNjNc9
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) June 4, 2019
Yep! These guys are going to be fun to watch … unless you’re a fan of a team trying to tackle them!
