@Adipost Any thoughts on how the bear's backfield is going to split touches? I have been viewing Montgomery as the guy that will be RB1 and Davis as RB3 which is more of just an insurance plan for injury. I see Cohen continuing his role that he played last year.
Well, I know the reason Fahey has Davis ahead of Montgomery is because he’s always been a big fan of his. He did this breakdown right after the Bears signed him:
Mike Davis perfect fit
Matt Nagy's offense is built on stretching defenses in every direction. He wants to move the ball horizontally, he wants to take shots vertically. He's not going to let opponents line up and crash to a spot where they all know the ball is going. Misdirection, pre-snap motion, pick plays, screens, pulling linemen, pulling tight ends, designed quarterback runs. Nagy's goal is to keep you constantly off balance, constantly guessing.
To make that offense work, he needs players who can take advantage of space. Jordan Howard, for all of his qualities, struggled to adapt to Nagy's shotgun-heavy scheme. He averaged 3.7 yards per carry and wasn't a factor as a receiver. Too often his touches were the best way of containing Tarik Cohen.
Cohen is the Bears' primary running back at this point. He may not carry the ball 250 times, but his value in the rushing and receiving game makes his impact greater than his peers.
Because Cohen isn't Le'Veon Bell, there are going to be more opportunities to run the ball for the second back on the roster. As of right now, that back remains Howard but his spot on the roster isn't guaranteed moving forward. He would be a desirable piece in a trade. Furthermore, his hold on that spot as the second option even if he stays on the roster wouldn't be strong.
Mike Davis is not the celebrated back that Howard was prior to last season. He has played for the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in limited roles. In those roles, he showcased a skill set that will make him a perfect fit in the Bears offense.
Davis carried the ball 112 times for 514 yards and four touchdowns last season. He averaged 4.6 yards per attempt while running from both shotgun alignments and with his quarterback under center. In generating that production, he showed off a combination of balance, acceleration and decisiveness that maximized his output on each play.
On this play against the Panthers, Davis is confronted with a defensive tackle coming off the left tackle as he approaches the line of scrimmage. Davis quickly recognizes the defensive tackle's leverage in the hole and shifts his weight to change direction.
How he shifts his weight is important. By dropping his upper body down, he hides behind the left guard in front of him who is engaging the linebacker on the second level.
Because that linebacker can't see Davis through that motion, he can't slide to the outside and prevent Davis from accelerating outside. Once Davis gets that head start, he has the speed to get away from the linebacker and turn upfield for a good gain. Those are the types of movements that Howard can't make comfortably.
On this play against the Packers, the Seahawks center advances upfield immediately. This leaves each guard to handle the defensive tackles. Those tackles do a good job of pushing their linemen inside while controlling them to prevent Davis from running right through the middle of the defense.
Davis recognizes the lack of space to attack and stops his feet. Stopping your feet is only something you do out of necessity as a running back in the NFL. When you do it, you have to be fast enough and aware enough to not get caught in the backfield for a loss. Davis' ability to shuffle his feet and change direction in the tight space initially is impressive.
After changing direction, he's confronted by an unblocked edge defender. Davis again shows off quick reactions and an ability to change direction in an instant, freeing himself up to accelerate around the edge.
Cutting back is an important part of running from shotgun. Generally offenses that run from shotgun a lot are using zone concepts rather than power concepts. On the play prior to this one, Davis recognized that he needed to stop his feet and turn in the opposite direction. This time he recognizes that the cutback lane is closer so he can sharply plant to move upfield at speed.
His speed here negates the chasing edge rusher and allows him to take advantage of the offensive line's effective blocking.
Davis is officially listed at 5'9" and 217 lbs. His size isn't something that stands out but his frame carries significant power. He can break tackles in the open field in different ways and he can shed the attention of defensive linemen and linebackers when running between the tackles.
The Seahawks center does enough to maintain his block on this play but the defensive tackle works through it so he can contact Davis as he crosses the line of scrimmage.
Because he's already built up some momentum, Davis' speed allows him to hit the hole hard. That allows him to move past the arm tackle attempt without slowing down. From there, Davis re-accelerates to drag another defender with him on the second level.
In Davis the Bears are getting an elusive...
...explosive....
...and intelligent runner.
He hasn't proven himself as a lead back yet but he also hasn't had the opportunity to do so. His role as a receiver in Seattle was limited also. He hasn't proven capable of lining up in different spots or running different routes, but he was competent when tasked with working as a checkdown option out of the backfield.
Outside of catching screen passes, the Bears aren't likely to ask any non-Cohen back to fill an expansive role in the passing game.
Adding Davis' speed is about getting better working between the tackles. The Bears regularly put Cohen and Howard on the field together, using Cohen as a receiver or as the end-around option on misdirection runs/screens where the ball still went to Howard. Adding Davis will put more speed on the field for those play designs.
