Should the Bears trade David Montgomery?

The 2022 NFL trade deadline is quickly approaching. There's been speculation about the Chicago Bears' as potential sellers at the deadline, with linebacker Roquan Smith being the headliner for teams in contention. But what about running back David Montgomery? Should GM Ryan Poles unload his starting running back who's on an expiring contract?

The simple answer is yes. And I'm a huge Montgomery guy; I believe in his talent and think his first four years in the NFL could've been better had he been with a team that used him correctly.

Former coach Matt Nagy refused to commit to the run. This year, head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy are all-in on the ground attack but are splitting Montgomery's reps with second-year pro, Khalil Herbert, in a time-share that's exposed a simple truth: as talented as Montgomery is, it's undeniable that he's a replaceable piece in Chicago's offense right now.

Is David Montgomery replaceable in the locker room? Probably not. He's a team- and fan-favorite whose physical running style injects life into the offense. But Herbert's emergence in 2022 is equally contagious. His chunk gains and field-flipping ability gives the Bears' offense something it's lacking when Montgomery is in the game. And while the pair have become quite the tandem that compliment each other well, Chicago is in the midst of a rebuild, and adding another mid-round pick will help that cause more than anything Montgomery does on the field this year.

Montgomery's contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and second contracts are hard to land for running backs, especially when there's talent on the depth chart. Montgomery will likely ask for a contract that pays in the neighborhood of James Conner's (Arizona Cardinals) and Leonard Fournette's (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) deals. Both runners received a three-year, $21 million deal last offseason. The Bears will be salary-cap-rich next winter and can easily afford Montgomery at those terms.

Wouldn't that $7 million average annual salary be better spent on an offer for a big-ticket offensive lineman, though? Perhaps Poles identifies a disgruntled wide receiver who wants a trade and a new contract. That $7 million in the coffers could help facilitate a deal and mega-contract.

The Bears won't spend money just to spend it next offseason. Poles has proven in his first year on the job that he's fiscally responsible. He doesn't sign players 'just because.' Perhaps he'll view David Montgomery as more than just a running back; maybe Poles will view Montgomery as a culture guy he wants in the building. That certainly has value, and Poles might rank that value higher than the argument that suggests there's no reason to pay running backs.

Just keep drafting them.

The decision to draft Khalil Herbert in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft was one of former GM Ryan Pace's best parting gifts to the Bears. Herbert has emerged as one of the top young running backs in the NFL. There's no doubt he'd be an above-average starter if he had the Bears gig all to himself.

The numbers prove that Herbert's time as the Bears' RB1 is coming sooner than later. Montgomery has carried the ball 92 times for 361 yards (3.9 ypc) this year, while Herbert, with one less carry, has 563 yards (6.4 ypc). Montgomery is averaging less than four yards per carry over his four years in the NFL. Herbert is over five yards per rush.

Stats are one thing. But the eyeball test agrees with the numbers. Herbert, simply put, is outplaying Montgomery. He should be given his chance to be the primary running back. A change to Herbert would mark the end of Montgomery's tenure as a Bear, so rather than watch him disappear in the shadows of free agency next spring, Poles should do whatever it takes to move Montgomery to a running back-needy team.

Imagine Montgomery on the Kansas City Chiefs? Poles' history and time in Kansas City would certainly help get a deal done, and the Chiefs already showed their willingness to trade with their deal with the New York Giants for WR Kadarius Toney.

Montgomery probably wouldn't fetch more than a fifth-round pick in a trade. It may not seem like much now, but it's the same round that produced promising rookie left tackle Braxton Jones in 2022. No matter who the Bears pick with a selection acquired in a Montgomery trade, he'll have a more long-term outlook on the roster than Montgomery has right now.

Montgomery is a stud. No doubt about it. But it's time to trade him and clear the path for Herbert to be the bell cow.