The Bears never got their running game moving the way that coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace envisioned when they traded Howard to the Eagles and used a third-round pick on David Montgomery, who averaged only 3.7 yards per carry in his rookie season. The Bears averaged that same amount as a team, which ranked 30th in the NFL.
As we continue our Bears positional outlooks entering the offseason, the team is once again seeking answers to improve its rushing game.
When hopes were high in Bourbonnais last summer, the Bears' running back group was billed "Run DMC" -- a solute to veteran Mike Davis, Montgomery and Cohen.
Nagy and Pace both praised the concept of a three-man backfield, believing it would bring dangerous versatility. Instead, three running backs meant zero answers.
Montgomery posted pedestrian numbers in an offense that struggled collectively. Cohen was ineffective as a rusher, managing 3.3 yards per carry. And Davis rushed just 11 times for 25 yards before being released in October.
Montgomery flashed his potential and explosiveness at times, including rushing 23 times for 113 yards and a score in the regular-season finale. But he reached the 75-yard rushing mark only four times in 16 games.
Some of the blame for the running game troubles landed on offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand when Nagy fired them two days after the end of the season. While Nagy has yet to publicly comment on those firings, the Bears anonymously leaked that Helfrich and Hiestand had key roles in overseeing the running game.
The Bears hired veteran assistant Juan Castillo as their new offensive line coach. Castillo has a background working with running games, and that's expected to be a key responsibility of his. Nagy replaced Helfrich with Bill Lazor as the new offensive coordinator, adding an experienced voice to his staff.
Montgomery is slated to return as the starter in 2020.
"I know we need to run the ball more. I'm not an idiot."
-- Nagy after the Bears rushed a franchise-low seven times in a loss to the Saints on Oct. 20
For the Bears to get their running game moving, it starts with Nagy and his system.
The Bears often failed to get their ground attack established in large part because Nagy didn't call enough running plays. There were times in 2019 when he entirely abandoned the running game. One such case was when quarterback Mitchell Trubisky threw 54 times in the aforementioned loss to the Saints.
The other key factor in the running game's fate will be how the Bears address their offensive line. A part of that group's struggles was the void at right guard. Kyle Long struggled with consistency and injury before being shut down in early October. Rashaad Coward isn't an starting-caliber player, and it showed when he took over. Addressing right guard is a priority for Pace this offseason.
If the Bears enter 2020 with a greater commitment to the running game and more stability on the offensive line, they will gain a better sense about whether Montgomery is the answer at running back. He didn't get a fair chance last season.
Cohen also wasn't established as a weapon in 2019 after being one of the game's most dangerous players across his first two NFL seasons. Cohen averaged a career-worst 4.7 yards per touch (rushing and receiving) and was only a minimal threat in 2019.
The Bears will again be seeking a veteran addition to their backfield after releasing Davis just seven games into his two-year deal.
But no single player can change the Bears' rushing fortunes. They endured collective failures that must be fixed.