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Column: David Montgomery is embracing change at Halas Hall. How will the Chicago Bears running back fit the new scheme?

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Turnover at Halas Hall is so expansive that not only is running back David Montgomery learning a new playbook from a new coaching staff, but by the time the Chicago Bears fill out a 90-man roster for the offseason, nearly half of his teammates will be new.

It’s a lot for Montgomery to work through as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie contract after the Bears traded up to draft him in the third round in 2019. Some of Montgomery’s traits probably make him a good match for the scheme offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is installing, much of it based on what Getsy learned in Green Bay.

Remember, the Bears targeted Montgomery in 2019 because they deemed him a better fit for Matt Nagy’s offense than Jordan Howard, the running back who was in place from the previous coaching staff. The key for Montgomery is to use the 2022 season to convince the decision makers he’s the right fit for the new system, something Howard didn’t do despite rushing for 3,370 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons and missing only one game before he was traded.

The Bears thought Montgomery was more suited for the inside zone and run-pass option scheme Nagy desired, and they billed him as a better fit in the passing game. The biggest difference between Montgomery and Aaron Jones — the featured running back for the Packers, for whom Getsy worked the last three seasons — is that Jones is more dynamic in the passing game.

But Montgomery’s vision and patience should lead to ample success in the outside zone scheme the Bears will lean on heavily in the ground game, with second-year running back Khalil Herbert surely playing a role as well.

“Change is good a lot of times,” Montgomery said. “It may be uncomfortable, it may be challenging because you’re so used to going by things a certain way, but in the end you realize that it betters you as a person and as a player. I’m excited to see what’s to come.”

Jones also has more long speed than Montgomery, but the Bears running back has more than enough short-area burst to read the defensive pursuit, pick the alley he wants and clear it before it closes. He also runs with excellent contact balance, even if that wasn’t such a big part of his game last season after a knee injury forced him to miss four games.

Montgomery will earn $2.79 million this season, and if there’s any pressure to perform for a new contract, he’s not letting that show.

“Whether I’m going into my second year or my first year, I’ve still got to play football and I’ve still got to perform,” he said. “I could (not) really care less about contracts, the contract terms and things, but I’m excited to be here for another year and play with my guys.”

It will be interesting to see how the roster comes together in the coming weeks and what that leads Getsy to do from a strategic standpoint. Will a lack of experience at wide receiver lead the Bears to utilize more 12 personnel (one running back, two receivers and two tight ends)? The Packers were in 12 personnel 29% of the time last season.

The Bears signed fullback Khari Blasingame, although he’s not the traditional hammer you see in an I formation. Maybe they will use more 21 personnel (two running backs, two receivers and one tight end), another formation that could lead to more success in the ground game.

The bottom line is they don’t have a lot of proven skill-position players on offense, and Montgomery has been a relatively consistent performer the last three seasons. The Bears could lean on him as they get rolling in a new offense with many new parts.

Where it goes from here, no one knows — but coach Matt Eberflus says he’s open-minded.

“We’re going to stretch that role for all those backs and see what they can do,” he said. “That’s the whole process of this time of year. We’re going to stress those guys and stretch their role, meaning: Can he run the whole gamut of the passing tree? What kind of routes is he good at? How’s the timing of that? Can he beat guys one-on-one consistently? Is it a safety or a linebacker that’s covering him? It’s a positive way for that guy to do that, if he can beat all those guys — DBs and linebackers — and we feel he has the skill set to do that.

“I think the sky’s the limit. We don’t put ceilings on guys. If you do that, that’s not a good way to go. If the guy can climb all the way and go all the way up, man, go. We encourage you to do that and we’ll keep feeding you.”

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