David Montgomery says he’s not trying to fill void left by Tarik Cohen’s injury

David Montgomery isn’t known as a pass-catching running back. Instead, he’s a traditional banger who does his best work between the tackles on early downs.

That perception could be changing soon.

With Tarik Cohen, the team’s primary pass-catching back, lost for the season with a torn ACL, Montgomery will have to shoulder at least some of the load as a receiver out of the backfield.

Montgomery caught 25 passes for 185 yards and one touchdown as a rookie and proved at Iowa State that he’s certainly a capable receiver. He caught 48 passes over his final two seasons as a Cyclone and was considered a Kareem Hunt-like prospect during the 2019 NFL draft process.

Through three games this year, Montgomery has just six catches for 64 yards and one score. He’ll have to produce at a higher rate than that for the Bears’ offense to hit on all cylinders.

“I’m not really here to fill a void,” Montgomery said this week. “I’m just here to come in and play what I need to play and go out and do me and bring whatever I can to the table.”

He’ll have to bring more catches to that table. At the very least, he’s going to get more touches, according to Bears coach Matt Nagy.

“David is only going to keep getting better and possibly [get] more carries,” Nagy said.