Bears running back David Montgomery had the second-most rushing yards of any rookie in the NFL last season, but he also averaged the second-fewest yards per carry of any back with more than 200 attempts.

Montgomery said in June that he will be better this time around and part of his plan to boost his production was centered on nutrition. Montgomery has slimmed down since the end of his rookie season by cutting out junk food and focusing on lean proteins that he hopes will get him moving faster on the field this time around.

Related players: Tarik Cohen, Cordarrelle Patterson

Montgomery said he didn't really care what he ate last year because he was a rookie, but he thinks he can be faster than he was a year ago. Montgomery still should have a pretty clear path to being the main ball carrier, but he'll have to get off to a good start most seem to think. Cohen will see his share of passing-down snaps and the team is going to get Patterson more involved this year it looks like. Monty is only ranked 29th among our backs so he's more of a lottery pick in the 5th or 6th round.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy said RB Tarik Cohen is "really dedicated right now and trying to be coachable," according to Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns of The Athletic. “That’s what I think is really neat with where he’s at with Tarik. There were some things we saw last year that we thought he could do better. He’s hit that full steam ahead and there’s been some changes in whether it’s his angle in the run game or whether it’s a specific route we’re trying to teach him. So I’m really happy for the way he’s handled that.”

Cohen is entering the final year of his rookie contract, so if you are driving down 'Narrative Street,' take notice. Cohen has elite hands out of the backfield and sees the field like most returners would. 2019 was abysmal for Cohen, so a strong offseason could make 2019 the exception and not the rule.

It appears the Chicago Bears are ready to commit to Cordarrelle Patterson as more of an offensive weapon than a wide receiver in 2020. Patterson has been participating in running back meetings so far in training camp, and in Monday's first padded practice of the summer, he was running through drills at the position too.

Related players: David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen

The story said Patterson has a fantastic opportunity to contribute on offense in 2020 with a position shift to the backfield. The Bears have little depth behind starter Montgomery. Only Cohen, who's really more of a receiving threat than a true early-down runner, offers a viable option after Montgomery, but with Patterson's combination of size and explosive ability, he could prove to be a much bigger factor in the run game than previously imagined.

The Bears signed running back Mike Davis to a two-year, $6 million contract this offseason. That has not gone well, and if General Manager Ryan Pace is smart, he’ll admit his mistake and cut Davis this week.

Related players: Tarik Cohen, David Montgomery

The Bears can get a fourth-round pick if they cut ties with Davis before Week 10. Davis has just 11 carries for 25 yards and that doesn't figure to go up much with the emergence of Montgomery in the backfield.

David Montgomery deserves some of the blame for the running game's struggles. He ranks 71st among running backs on Pro Football Focus this season with a 58.6 grade. He's looked very much like a rookie runner at times, lacking patience and making one move (usually a spin move) too many.

Related players: Tarik Cohen, Mike Davis

The story said Monty is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry but it's not all his fault. The O-line hasn't been good at all. The story suggested the Bears could go to Cohen more, thanks to his ability to get more out of a play at times, something they did early against the Raiders but that was likely because they fell behind early. The story also seems to think Davis isn't much of an upgrade and Monty will continue to get his chances. The hope for owners is the bye week allows the Bears to figure some things out in the run game. Montgomery is hopefully a better RB option coming out of the bye for Week 7.

The Bears used Tarik Cohen at running back, outside receiver and in the slot last season and weren’t shy about adding new formations and personnel groupings to his game-week workload. He was a quick study, they said, and he became perhaps their most dangerous offensive weapon.

In retrospect, however, Nagy said the Bears might have taxed Cohen’s preparation too much down the stretch.

‘‘We moved [Cohen] around a lot last year, and I do feel like there was a time — probably later in the season — where we probably gave him a little bit too much,’’ Nagy said before practice Tuesday. ‘‘And when you mentally drain them, it pulls them back physically.’’

Tarik Cohen's touches may go down to keep him fresh, but they're much more likely to go down due to the team adding three pass-catching backs in David Montgomery, Mike Davis, and Cordarrelle Patterson and also getting Anthony Miller back healthy. Cohen looks like he will see fewer carries and targets, capping his upside on a team that will keep games low-scoring due to a strong defense.

Offensively, the Bears are in love with RB David Montgomery, who brings a professional approach that is rare for a rookie.

Related players: Mike Davis, Tarik Cohen

Paylor went on to say Monty is a no-nonsense guy who takes football very seriously. The Bears love that, plus his receiving skills and make-you-miss skills. He will help this team immediately, Paylor added. We had a story about Monty's receiving skills Monday, and it may be something potential fantasy owners weren't aware of.

The Bears opened up space alongside Tarik Cohen in their backfield by trading Jordan Howard this offseason and third-round pick David Montgomery joins free agent acquisition Mike Davis as the likeliest candidates to fill it.

Early signs about the rookie’s chances of doing that have been positive. Montgomery’s skills in the passing game got a thumbs up from head coach Matt Nagy and running backs coach Charles London said his ability as a runner was also evident right off the bat.

London said Montgomery has “pretty rare contact balance,” which gives him the chance to gain yards even when there’s a lot of traffic ahead of him on the field.

The story added London said Montgomery was focused on learning the offense and his role this spring, but that he can see the running back taking on a leadership role as time goes on. If the offseason praise turns into regular season results, that may happen sooner rather than later. In standard leagues, we have Montgomery ranked as the highest Bears back at 26th.