Editor's note: This marks the second piece in a series of positional outlooks for the Bears' roster entering this offseason. Click here to read the rest of them.
(670 The Score) Bears running back David Montgomery breakthrough came in 2020 as the team envisioned, though a little later into the season than hoped.
It wasn't until the second half of the regular season that the Bears found a reliable combination on their offensive line, as they inserted Sam Mustipher at center and Alex Bars at right guard and shifted Cody Whitehair to left guard. Those moves helped open up more opportunities for Montgomery.
The Bears used that offensive line combination for the final six regular-season games and surpassed 100 rushing yards in each one. Montgomery rushed for 598 rushing yards in those final six games after totaling only 472 in his first nine contests.
Montgomery's performance inspired hope for what's to come in the Bears' running game in 2021. As we continue our offseason analysis of the Bears' roster, let's break down Montgomery and the running back position.
Who's back
David Montgomery, 23 -- Montgomery impressed when given rushing lanes. He rushed for 1,070 yards on 247 carries (4.3 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns in 15 games.
Tarik Cohen, 25 -- About a week after signing a three-year contract extension, Cohen suffered a torn ACL in late September that sidelined him for the rest of the season. He's progressing well in his rehab and is expected to be healthy for 2021.
Artavis Pierce, 24 -- An undrafted rookie out of Oregon State, Pierce carried six times for 34 yards and a touchdown this past season. He'll have the chance to compete as the third running back next season.
Free agents
Cordarrelle Patterson, 29 -- The Bears' experiment with Patterson as a running back didn't work well, as he averaged a career-worst 3.6 yards per rush on 64 carries.
Ryan Nall, 25 -- A key special teams contributor, Nall should be back with the Bears in 2021.
How they got here
After the 2018 season, Bears coach Matt Nagy wanted a better fit than Jordan Howard at running back.
It led to the Bears trading Howard to the Eagles in March 2019, landing a sixth-round pick in return. Chicago then traded up in the third round to land Montgomery with its first selection of that draft.
The Bears created a running back tandem with Montgomery and Cohen, but they didn't produce the desired results. Neither Montgomery nor Cohen was particularly effective in 2019, when they struggled to find rushing lanes behind a poor offensive line. The Bears averaged 4.7 yards per play and only 3.7 yards per rush in 2019.
The Bears' offense had marginally better production in 2020, even after an abysmal first half of the season. Chicago averaged 5.1 yards per play and 4.2 yards per rush for the season, and Montgomery surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark.
Montgomery and Cohen are set to return as a tandem in 2021, and the Bears believe a stronger blocking unit will help them produce on the ground.
Quote to note
"He wants to be a 1,000-yard back every year, and I can respect that. The hard work he puts in each and every day, it’s crazy, man. He’s one of the harder-working guys at his position. He’s going to do whatever it takes to help this team win. Every time he’s out there, just give him the ball. He’s going to make something happen."
-- Patterson on Montgomery
What's ahead
The running back position will be low on the Bears' priority list this offseason, but they could use a veteran addition alongside Montgomery and Cohen.
In the Bears' loss to the Vikings on Nov. 16, they were without Montgomery (concussion) and Cohen (torn ACL). Patterson led the team with 12 carries for 30 yards. It reinforced the Bears' need to have another option in the backfield.
The right fit could be six-time Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy, who said at the Super Bowl on Tuesday that he has embraced being the elder statesman of the Buccaneers' running backs room.
McCoy is no longer his superstar self of the past but would give the Bears a great veteran presence.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.