David Montgomery isn’t happy with how things ended with the Chicago Bears. He made that clear with some of his recent comments. The running back feels disrespected that his former team didn’t make a stronger push to re-sign him in free agency. Instead, he opted to join the Detroit Lions on a three-year deal for $18 million. Since then, he’s made it clear he aims to make the Bears pay for not believing in him. He thinks he has finally landed with an organization that is ready to win. Unfortunately, things haven’t started well for his new team.
The Lions were already slapped with multiple suspensions thanks to violations of the NFL gambling policy. One of them is promising receiver Jameson Williams. Things aren’t much better for Montgomery. Detroit drafted Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the 1st round, which puts a clear ceiling on what sort of playing time he’ll see. Then to add injury to insult, Montgomery departed a recent practice with an apparent lower leg ailment. It happened during individual drills when he was making a cut, which is never a good sign.
The longer he’s off the field, the greater the odds Gibbs will seize full control of the starting running back job. He likely didn’t join the Lions with the aim of being a part-time backup to a rookie. He may have gotten his money, but a competitor like him won’t care for such a setup. It’s a tough situation. Montgomery was a good player in Chicago. Nobody wants to see him hurt. Still, it feels like he may have jinxed himself by signing with a division rival and then sniping his old team.
There is still no word on the severity of the injury. That is usually a sign it’s not season-ending. David Montgomery is tough. He will likely work through whatever it is once doctors give him the option to return. One can only hope this isn’t a taste of things to come. Injuries can pile up on a running back if he’s not careful, especially with the way Montgomery runs. It will be interesting to see how things develop in the coming weeks.
