Bears look to RB Khalil Herbert as they move on without David Montgomery

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

One of the few mainstays the Bears had left is leaving. Running back David Montgomery agreed to a deal with the Lions on Tuesday.

Montgomery posted a farewell message to Bears fans on Instagram and thanked the team for “taking a chance on a kid who had nothing.”

Former general manager Ryan Pace drafted Montgomery in the third round in 2019, and he ran for 3,609 yards and 26 touchdowns in four seasons. He also caught 155 passes for 1,240 yards and four touchdowns.

In 61 games, including playoffs, he rushed for 100 yards eight times. He had 24 games of fewer than 50 yards.

Shortly after Montgomery made his deal with the Lions, Bears general manager Ryan Poles agreed to a two-year, $4.5 million contract with former Seahawks running back Travis Homer, a source said. That’s far less than the three years, $18 million Montgomery got from the Lions.

Homer, 24, was a backup for the Seahawks and played extensively on special teams, occasionally returning kickoffs. In four seasons, he rushed 83 times for 453 yards and a touchdown and caught 52 passes for 464 yards and two touchdowns.

The Seahawks drafted him in the sixth round out of Miami in 2019.

As much as Poles championed Montgomery, 25, as exactly the type of player and person he wanted, there was little chance the Bears would pay that much for a running back. They’ll move forward relying on Khalil Herbert, who is still on a cheap rookie contract for two more seasons, and perhaps an addition in the draft.

“I’ve always wanted to keep David,” Poles said at the end of the season. “I love his mentality, how he plays the game... He’s part of the identity that we had this year that kept us competitive.

“The second part of that is the contract situation... I’ve learned that you can want a player, [but] the value’s got to come together for it to happen.”

While Montgomery’s overall production wasn’t spectacular, he was by far the team’s best pass-blocker at the position.

The Lions, though, are betting that Montgomery’s numbers were hindered by the haphazard offense the Bears ran under former coach Matt Nagy and their various offensive line snafus.

Herbert, meanwhile, showed promise as an electric runner in his first two seasons. He broke out last season with 731 yards rushing and four touchdowns. He led all running backs at 5.7 yards per carry.

The Bears also have Trestan Ebner and Darrynton Evans on the roster, though neither established himself last season.