LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Bears coach Matt Nagy is hoping for the best after second-year running back David Montgomery suffered a groin injury in practice Wednesday morning.
The injury occurred when Montgomery's left foot slipped taking a handoff in a non-contact drill. He got up and walked off the field under his own power, albeit with a noticeable limp. The Bears' training staff then carted Montgomery from the far field at Halas Hall toward the team facility for further evaluation.
With Montgomery likely to miss some time in practice -- and kickoff to the regular season just 18 days away -- will the Bears be forced to look for a running back on the open market?
"You try to stay as positive as you can," Nagy said. "You don't know, really, what the answer is and where things are at.
"We talk about contingency. This is the year of the contingency."
The Bears have thin depth at running back behind Montgomery. The backup option is 5-foot-6 Tarik Cohen, whose workload must be monitored carefully throughout the course of a season, Nagy has said repeatedly. Cordarrelle Patterson is getting run out of the backfield now as well, though he's a converted receiver with only 103 career carries.
Third-year running back Ryan Nall has flashed promise during the Bears' preseason work, but he has rushed just twice in his NFL career. Rookie running back Artavis Pierce, an undrafted free agent out of Oregon State, is also in the mix.
With all that as context, the Bears are without a logical fit to be their every-down back if Montgomery is lost for regular-season games. So they may need to turn to the open market.
Five-time Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch and two-time Pro Bowl selection Devonta Freeman are each free agents. While Lynch hasn't stated his desire to play this season, Freeman is actively seeking "the right spot where I can be really, really highly utilized and get a real good opportunity," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this month.
Perhaps the most likely veteran fit for the Bears at running back is 28-year-old Spencer Ware, who remains a free agent. Ware spent five years and played four seasons with the Chiefs (he missed the 2017 season due to a torn ACL), and he overlapped three years when Nagy was on Kansas City's staff.
Ware has averaged 4.6 yards per carry during his NFL career. He also has proved himself as a target out of the backfield, averaging 10.9 yards on 64 career receptions.
The NFL recently allowed teams to resume holding tryouts at team facilities. Any player signed by a team would be subject to COVID-19 testing and a quarantine while waiting for those results.
From a football standpoint, it's worth wondering whether a free agent signed this late could get up to speed.
"We as coaches have got to do our job of making sure it's a smooth transition," Nagy said. "I know that we would end up doing that if that was the case."
Ware's familarity with Nagy's offense would seem to make him the most logical candidate to be signed compared to other alternatives. Veterans Jeremy Hill, Kenneth Dixon and Bilal Powell are also among options available.
But Nagy emphasized that he and general manager Ryan Pace weren't ready to discuss contingency plans until the Bears know more on Montgomery's status.
"I'm hoping that he's OK," Nagy said. "Obviously, he's a big part of this offense and we want him to be safe. He's worked really hard and he's in a -- from last year to this year, rookie year to now -- he's been doing everything the right way. He's such a good kid. You want the best for him."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
