David Montgomery injury: When will Bears RB return?

So far this season, Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery has been a revelation. He is currently fifth in the NFL in rushing yards with 309. He also has three rushing touchdowns this season.

In the fourth quarter of last week's Bears win over the Detroit Lions, Montgomery injured his left knee on a five-yard run. Immediately after the play, Montgomery lay on the ground clutching his knee in pain. He did not return to the field.

When will David Montgomery return from injury?

According to NFL insider Dan Graziano, tests have revealed that Montgomery has a knee sprain and instead of this being a season-ending injury, Montgomery is expected to miss 4-5 weeks.

The news comes as a relief to Bears fans as the injury looked much worse than it turned out to be. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears will utilize backup running back Damien Williams, who was acquired in the off-season from the Kansas City Chiefs.

But with such a productive running game, how do the Bears intend on surviving the NFC without the use of David Montgomery?

Justin Fields to the rescue?

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy recently came under fire for what has been considered a mishandling of Bears' 2021 first-round draft pick Justin Fields. The former Ohio State University product came into the league with high hopes and blew into the Windy City as a savior for Bears fans who have yet to see a 4,000-yard passer.

With a list of quarterbacks over the last 15 years to include Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Jay Cutler, Mike Glennon, and Mitchell Trubisky, Bears fans have a right to be concerned about the game plan that Matt Nagy displayed when Fields received the first start of his NFL career against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3.

It was during that game that Fields was sacked nine times. With a porous offensive line, coach Nagy should have created a plan for the ball to come out of Fields' hand sooner than it did.

In Week 4, Fields was given the jersey again in place of starting quarterback Andy Dalton, who was sidelined with a knee injury.

The results were much better. That could be the result of coach Nagy allowing Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor to call plays for that week's game against the Detroit Lions.

Fields was much calmer and was able to display what made him the number 11 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. With Lazor calling the shots, the Bears should be able to depend on Justin Fields to keep them afloat until Montgomery returns.