Chicago Sports

Two hours after he traded up to draft Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields on April 29, 2021, then-Bears general manager Ryan Pace bounded downstairs at Halas Hall and sat down in front of a computer for a Zoom conference.

“The excitement throughout our whole building, you could feel it as I walked down here tonight,” he said. “What he’s going to do for the future of our organization.”

Pace was right — eventually. But it was a future Pace wouldn’t be around to see.

After another underwhelming season, Bears chairman George McCaskey, at the urging of advisor Bill Polian, decided to clean house in January. He fired Pace and coach Matt Nagy, replacing them with Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.

Eberflus didn’t keep a single Nagy-era position coach. Poles has replaced all but 19 players who were on the 2021 Bears.

Fields, though, remains.

In the last month, he has emerged as one of the NFL’s most exciting players, albeit on a 3-7 team. If he continues on the same trajectory that has seen the Bears average 31 points in the last four games, Fields could become Pace’s ultimate parting gift to the organization that fired him: a franchise quarterback.

It would be an ironic twist for a general manager whose seven-year Bears career is best-remembered for him trading up to draft another quarterback, Mitch Trubisky, instead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in 2017.

The Bears released Trubisky after four seasons. In fact, no first-round draft pick chosen by Pace received a second contract from the Bears. Fields is his last hope. If he turns out to be the dynamic quarterback the franchise has coveted since Sid Luckman retired in 1950, Pace’s tenure — in which the Bears went 48-67 with two playoff losses — will be remembered far more fondly.

Pace would have to enjoy that satisfaction from afar. Less than two months after the Bears fired him, he joined the Falcons — the Bears’ opponent Sunday — as a senior personnel executive. He declined comment for this story.

Pace should be credited for taking the long view of the franchise and trading up for Fields — he gave the Giants the No. 20 pick in 2021, a 2021 fifth-rounder, a 2022 first-rounder and a 2022 fourth-rounder — even though he knew his job was riding on a must-win season.

GMs rarely make such moves. While coaching changes after a quarterback’s first season are fairly common, front-office makeovers aren’t. Pace was the first GM since 2016 to get fired at the end of a season in which he drafted a quarterback in the first round. The last to do so was the Titans’ Ruston Webster, who had selected quarterback Marcus Mariota second overall about eight months before his ouster.

Two GMs since have left their posts after drafting quarterbacks, but both were retirements planned months in advance. The Ravens’ Ozzie Newsome left after drafting Lamar Jackson in 2018, and the Steelers’ Kevin Colbert retired days after picking Kenny Pickett in the first round in April.

History might prove Pace right for picking Fields. But it shouldn’t ignore what happened afterward. Pace and Nagy believed Fields had the skills to become perhaps the greatest quarterback in Bears history, yet they announced on draft night that he would be the backup to Andy Dalton.

It took a knee injury to Dalton to force Fields into regular game action. Later, when both quarterbacks were healthy, Nagy even asked McCaskey his opinion on which player to start. That made the chairman uncomfortable. He believed it was a decision best left to the coach. McCaskey cited the incident after firing Nagy. Fields’ 10 inconsistent starts last season — and the Bears’ 6-11 record — weren’t enough to save Pace’s or Nagy’s job.

The presence of a first-round quarterback, though, made their vacancies more attractive.

Eberflus certainly noticed. In January, he went deep into the interview process with the Jaguars, who had No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, and the Bears. Having a young quarterback in place was appealing.

“When you’re looking at different types of places to go, you take spots for that reason,” he said. “The No. 1 spot you look at is quarterback. You study and look at that, and I loved what I saw. I’m loving what I’m seeing even more since I’ve been here for this amount of time. …

“The athleticism, the toughness, the grit, the ability to make special plays. And he’s done that.”

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YORKVILLE, Ill.–A thick nine-point buck with a broken tine and a drop time started my morning Friday at Silver Springs State Fish and Wildlife Area.

“Best deer I ever shot,” said Brady Feece, of Elburn. “I always wanted a drop-tine.”

Drop tines, a rarity, grow downward.

Shortly after, Jake Popp of Yorkville, came in with a Kendall County 10-point with busted tines.

“That’s another gnarly one,” Mike Wefer said.

“The one I saw the day before could have been it’s father,” Popp said.

The first portion of Illinois’ firearm deer season opened Friday and ends Sunday. As of Wednesday, 163,433 hunters had obtained permits, emailed Dan Skinner, forest wildlife program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The opener was colder than usual. Dave Roper emailed from Hamilton County, “27 degrees, calm winds. 6 a.m., almost time.”

In northern areas, it was colder and windier as the day wore on with scattered snow showers and snow cover in some areas.

From Ogle County, where snow flurries were flying, Bob Coine emailed early morning, “Out of the box this morning, from first light, bucks are on their feet actively seeking does. We are seeing few does and fawns, but all of us are seeing bucks of all ages. A friend has a buck on the ground already.”

Numerous hunters checking in their deer mentioned that bucks were still chasing does.

Illinois discontinued check stations more than 20 years ago, but restarted them in counties with chronic wasting disease so samples could be collected and CWD hot spots marked.

Most years, I visit a check station on opening day. This year, it was my first time for Kendall County.

Roy Domazlicky, northern regional wildlife biologist, was the cutter for the day. He checked the teeth to age the deer and asked permission to take samples. With permission, he cut out the lymph nodes in the neck and a piece of tongue.

In the last couple years, the procedure changed slightly. Now, the nodes now are simply taken out and frozen before before being sent to a Wisconsin lab to check for CWD. The tongue samples go to Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, who has ongoing studies on white-tailed deer, at the University of Illinois.

When a deer came in, Wefer, wildlife division chief, checked in the hunter, asked whether taken with a shotgun or a muzzleloader and whether any wild turkeys, feral hogs or bobcats were sighted. Then he asked them to show on a map where the deer was killed.

This fall, Jim Dooley was the first reader to send me a photo of an armadillo spotted from a deer stand. It was under him for an hour.

Considering armadillos are inching north in Illinois, I asked Skinner if a question on armadillo sightings was coming.

“We already have a nice reporting tool on [wildlifeillinois.org/sightings/report-armadillo-sightings/] for anyone who would like to provide information on armadillo sightings in the northern half of the state,” he emailed.

Skinner also dug a historical nugget.

“Kendall County was opened to shotgun hunting in 1966,” he emailed. “A deer permit back then cost five dollars and allowed you to hunt between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. The permit quota in 1966 for Kendall County was 200, and the shotgun season that year was Nov. 18-20 and Dec. 9-11. When you swing through the check station on Friday, that would be 56 years to the day since the Illinois Department of Conservation opened Kendall County up to shotgun deer hunting.”

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Aurora Central 55, Newark 44

Bluford Webber 42, Red Hill 11

Clemente 35, Foreman 15

Effingham 53, Dieterich 43

Fenwick 40, Phillips 36

Galesburg 69, Freeport 29

Geneva 50, Lake Zurich 43

Huntley 52, Hononegah 35

Hyde Park 83, Comer 11

Joliet West 58, Moline 30

Lake View 48, Francis Parker 35

Latin 55, Hope Academy 47

LeRoy 53, Roanoke-Benson 44

Lincoln 76, Mattoon 47

Benet 70, Rockford Guilford 34

Lyons 64, Wheaton North 31

Mt. Zion 45, Jacksonville 30

Nokomis 55, Vandalia 41

Normal West 69, Bloomington 56

Peoria Notre Dame 65, East Peoria 14

Pontiac 64, Fairbury Prairie Central 59

Prospect 68, Downers South 54

Rochester 44, Bethalto Civic Memorial 32

Rockford East 41, Earlville 32

Sandwich 39, Somonauk 22

Stevenson 59, New Trier 54, OT

Stillman Valley 44, Stockton 12

United 51, Yorkville Christian 21

Valmeyer 29, Lebanon 28

West Chicago 57, Elgin 44

Westmont 69, Islamic Foundation 28

Wheaton Academy 43, Harvest Christian Academy 26

Willows 37, North Chicago 12

Woodlawn 63, Cairo 24

Dundee Crown Tournament

St. Viator 63, Streamwood 33

Mundelein Tournament

Highland Park 65, Grayslake North 58

Taylorville Tournament

Taylorville 64, Hillsboro 40

Warren Tournament

Galena 52, Morrison 48

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The message was sent.

And it wasn’t subtle, either.

Now, Bulls coach Billy Donovan is about to find out who really heard it, who took it to heart, and who was poised to do something about it.

It obviously fell on deaf ears Friday.

Prior to Jalen Suggs breaking the hearts of the Bulls with a game-winning three pointer in the 108-107 shocking Magic win, Donovan was asked about the slow starts, too many lethargic moments, and the overall play of this product through 16 regular-season games, and now four-straight losses.

He did his usual coachspeak about it being on everyone in the organization, including himself and the coaching staff, but then did color outside his usual lines of correctness, making it very clear that this mess was on his Big Three, and theirs to clean up.

“The way I look at it is I’ve got a lot of respect on a lot of levels for Vooch [Nikola Vucevic], and DeMar [DeRozan], and Zach [LaVine] as who they are as players,” Donovan said. “We’re never going to be as good as we can be as a team until those three guys really drive the opening part of the game. It’s easy to look at maybe Ayo [Dosunmu] being a young player, Patrick [Williams] not being aggressive enough, ‘Hey, we’re just going to throw a guy in there.’

“Those three guys are important to our team, and if we’re working around them like you’re talking about, I don’t know if we can ever get where we need to get to.”

And that’s why making a radical change to the starting lineup wasn’t happening yet.

The closing group? That was a different story, as the Bulls (6-10) fought back from a 19-point deficit, took a four-point lead with 26.5 seconds left, and did so with LaVine benched in crunch time in the wake of a 1-for-14 shooting night.

“He had a tough night shooting and I thought that group fought their way back into the game,” Donovan said of benching his max contract guard. “One of those games that he just wasn’t playing well.”

That didn’t seem to sit well with LaVine.

“That’s Billy’s decision, he’s gotta lay with it,” LaVine said. “Do I agree with it? No. I think I can go out there and still be me even if I miss some shots. That’s his decision and he’s got to stand on it.”

Asked if he’ll talk to Donovan about it, LaVine said, “I’ll figure it out after this [press conference].”

DeRozan did score 41 points, but that didn’t change the fact that it was once again a bad start, leaving the Bulls to dig out of a hole.

It seemed they had when JaVonte Green dunked the ball with 26.5 seconds left, but Suggs hit two free throws, Vucevic missed his two free throws, and Suggs made it hurt.

Donovan, however, said the game was lost in the first half.

“[DeRozan, Vucevic and LaVine] are the leaders of our team, they are veteran players that have been in the league a long time,” Donovan said of the trio. “They’ve got to basically drive, whatever it is, defense, offense, everything. We’ve got to be able to get back, we’ve got to be able to contest threes, rebound, defend without fouling, we’ve got to be able to not turn the ball over and run good offense to generate shots. If shots aren’t falling, it can’t bleed into our defense. Your veteran guys drive that mentality and we need them to drive that mentality.”

There was more crashing than driving in the opening quarter against the Magic (5-11), as the Bulls again struggled defending the three-pointer and fell behind 37-24 after the first, and took a 14-point deficit into the locker room at the half.

“We played great once we’re behind,” LaVine added. “You can’t put a finger on why we’re coming out slow. You gotta put that on us.”

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Friday’s non-tender deadline, paired with the deadline to set reserve lists earlier this week, set the foundation for the Cubs’ offseason.

The Cubs did not tender contracts to left-handed pitcher Brailyn Marquez, outfielder Rafael Ortega or right-handed pitcher Alexander Vizca?no before Friday’s deadline, making them free agents.

Ortega, who was arbitration-eligible for the first time, has provided a left-handed bat to the Cubs’ outfield mix the past two season. This year, he hit .241, mostly against right-handed hitters, and broke his finger in mid-September, ending his season.

Marquez and Vizca?no missed the 2022 season. Marquez, once the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, has battled injuries the last couple years and underwent season-ending surgery on his left shoulder in June. Vizca?no, who the Cubs acquired from the Yankees last year as part of the Anthony Rizzo trade, spent the season on the restricted list after failing to report in Spring Training.

The Cubs also avoided arbitration with a pair of right-handed pitchers, agreeing to terms on 2023 contracts with Adrian Sampson ($1.9 million) and Rowan Wick ($1.55 million).

The club tendered contracts to 31 players on the 40-man roster, including four who are arbitration eligible: outfielder Ian Happ, infielders Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal, and right-handed reliever Codi Heuer. The club and each player have until mid-January to agree on a salary for next year or exchange figures.

The Cubs also claimed infielder Rylan Bannon off waivers from the Braves on Friday. Bannon, a Joliet native, made his MLB debut in May. He went 2-for-14 in the majors this year, split between the Orioles and the Braves. Meanwhile, he slashed .249/.367/.421 in Triple-A.

Here’s where the roster stands, including holes to fill over the winter.

Infield

The Cubs are looking to add power to their lineup, and the infield provides the most flexibility to do so of any position group.

The team could add a more experienced bat alongside first baseman Matt Mervis, who is expected to debut next year. Nico Hoerner can play shortstop or move back to second base, putting the Cubs in the conversation to land one of the elite shortstops on the free agent market.

The Cubs have several internal third base options, including Bannon, Patrick Wisdom, Christopher Morel and Zach McKinstry. But all three can play multiple positions.

Outfield

“Talking to a lot of these outfielders, left and right are taken,” manager Davis Ross said during the Cubs’ last series of the season in Cincinnati. “Pretty simple. There’s an open spot, and it’s in center field.”

The Cubs could fill the spot internally, by committee as they did last season, or look at external options.

Catcher

Willson Contreras officially hit free agency when he rejected the qualifying offer from the Cubs on Tuesday. Veteran Yan Gomes was the backup last year but still played in 86 games. He slides into a more prominent role for now, but the Cubs could use more quality depth at the position.

Rotation

“As far as the future of the rotation,” lefty Justin Steele told the Sun-Times at the end of the season, “if you go and add a top-of-the-line arm to what we already have, you can see something really special unfold.”

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has listed adding to the starting rotation as an offseason priority – along with filling holes in the bullpen and adding offensive power. But he has talked around promising a “top of the rotation” arm.

Bullpen

The Cubs have found success rounding out the bullpen with veterans on short-term deals. They don’t have an obvious closer heading into next year. They do have a number of younger pitchers who could develop into strong back-end relievers for years to come, including Brandon Hughes, Jeremiah Estrada, Manuel Rodr?guez, Erich Uelmen, Rowan Wick and Heuer, who is expected to return from Tommy John surgery rehab partway through the season.

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The last game Lonzo Ball played in came on Jan. 14, in a one-sided home loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Including Friday’s game with Orlando, the point guard has now missed 58-straight contests and 63 total with the Bulls.

So when Billy Donovan was again asked about a Ball update before the Magic game, the coach eagerly answered as if there was something positive to report.

“It’s going slow, but he’s doing more, he’s doing more, and he’s doing more,” Donovan said. “He’s still not obviously running, but he’s doing different things that he couldn’t do before.”

Once again proving that upbeat Ball updates are very relative.

“Outside of that, until he’s running, jumping or cutting, I just don’t know how far away [he is],” the coach added.

Which means still no timetable, despite Ball now being outside of the four-to-six week re-evaluation window that was originally given after he underwent a second left knee surgery in late September.

Best-case scenario for a Ball return?

It’s not really worth even speculating on, except that the organization was still holding out hope that there would be one at some point this season.

Not that anyone should be shocked by Ball’s seemingly slow return, especially since he was very transparent about how he wanted to handle his return this time around.

“For me, this will be my third surgery so this time around I really don’t want to rush anything,” Ball said the last time he spoke to the media in September. “I think like last time [in January], I wanted to get back to the playoffs and stuff, and I thought – we all thought – that was going to be the case and unfortunately it wasn’t, so this time we need to just take it as slow as we need to take it and come back 100%.”

Then factor in that his father, LaVar, thought Lonzo was rushed back too quickly by the Lakers when he had his first surgery, and there’s even more reason to believe that the plan is likely focusing on being overly-cautious this time around.

“[Missing the entire season is] not in my mind right now, but that would be the worst-case scenario,” Ball said. “I’m at a point now where I know I can’t get back out there until I’m comfortable playing and can actually play. So whenever that day comes, that’s when I’ll have the jersey back on.”

White out

Coby White made his return to the rotation on Friday, after the combo guard missed the last eight games with a thigh contusion.

He was on a minutes restriction, however, and didn’t expect that to change for at least a few more games.

“Just trying to get him back into the flow of things,” Donovan said. “He really hasn’t had a practice, just a shootaround [Friday morning]. He did things [Thursday] with some of the player development guys, so he’s gotten work in.”

White was averaging a career-low 8.1 points per game before the injury, and was shooting just 29.4% from three. Donovan, however, wasn’t concerned with his slow start.

“The one thing I respect about him is he always internally reflects on what he can do better,” Donovan said. “Whatever he can do to help the team is always his mentality.”

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The World Cup kicks off Sunday in Qatar, with the first match of the monthlong tournament featuring Qatar and Ecuador at 10 a.m.

Arguably the most popular international sporting event in the world, the World Cup features 32 senior men’s national teams divided among eight groups. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, which begins Dec. 3.

Reigning champion France is in Group D, along with Australia, Tunisia and Denmark, and has the depth and experience on its roster to retain its title. The United States is in Group B with England, Iran and Wales and opens play at 1 p.m. Monday against Wales. The furthest the U.S. men have made it in the tournament is the semifinals. (The United States has won the Women’s World Cup four times.) Mexico is in Group C with Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Poland.

The final will be played at 10 a.m. Dec. 18.

Chicago has a deeply rooted international soccer culture that will be on full display in the next four weeks at a handful of pubs that have earned a citywide reputation as go-tos for the world’s game.

Places such as The Globe Pub and A.J. Hudson’s are soccer staples in Chicago, and others are just beginning to be recognized as such. Some draw large crowds from specific countries, but all are destinations for international soccer fans.

One City Tap, 3115 S. Archer Avenue

Marco Antonio Lopez of McKinley Park opened One City Tap five years ago after a career in the restaurant industry.

One City Tap quickly earned a nod as one of Chicago’s go-to soccer bars when it began hosting Fire watch parties last year. As the World Cup begins, it is highlighting two teams specifically: Mexico and the United States.

One City Tap will open its doors at noon for all matches, except when it opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday for Mexico’s first match against Poland.

R Public House, 1508 W. Jarvis Ave.

This pub initially struggled with its decision to show the World Cup this year, but R Public House in Rogers Park will be donating $1 from every draft pour of Hazy Pitch IPA to the Nepal Youth Foundation.

”We really wrestled with the fact of whether we should show it at all because of what’s happened,” owner Renee Labrana said, referring to the many Nepalese migrants in Qatar who have faced poor working conditions for years.

”We knew even if we boycotted it, people were going to watch it. . . . We chose to at least try and give back and raise awareness.”

Simone’s, 960 W. 18th St.

Simone’s will kick off World Cup viewings Tuesday, when Mexico goes against Poland. The bar will prioritize games featuring Central American and South American teams, according to its manager, but also will be showing all U.S. games.

For now, there are no drink specials at Simone’s, but the kitchen will be open for fans who want to purchase Mexican-inspired pub grub.

Fans of Team Mexico frequented this spot during World Cups past, and fans of Mexico’s club teams can catch games here throughout the season, making it a staple for any real ”futbol” fans.

Cleos, 1935 W. Chicago Ave.

Cleos already is preparing for the group-stage match between England and the United States at 1 p.m. Friday, for which it is expecting a rowdy crowd.

Cleos earned a reputation as one of Chicago’s premier soccer hubs after a discussion the bar’s ownership and management had 10 years ago. Trying to decide what the bar’s identity should be, they came to the conclusion that turning into a college football bar wouldn’t serve their community.

”We felt like soccer was something that our neighborhood could really get into,” soccer manager Maggie Ednie said.

Cleos isn’t home to any national team specifically, but a number of its patrons are supporters of the United States, Mexico, Germany and England.

Damen Tavern, 701 N. Damen Ave.

If Cleos ends up being too crowded, Damen Tavern will be open for business throughout the tournament with its usual drink deals: $3 Bud Lights and $25 buckets of domestic beers.

Bartender Amanda Lopez Martinez, who describes herself as a casual soccer fan, said the bar will be hosting a special screening of the Mexico-Argentina game next Saturday. The tavern will prioritize promoting the weekend games, which draw some of the largest fan bases in Chicago.

The Embassy Public House, 1435 W. Taylor St.

Lifelong soccer fan and general manager Adrian Lewis says The Embassy has received more than 120 reservations from fans who want to catch the U.S. games, which begin Monday against Wales.

”I’m a big football fan,” said Lewis, who is from England. ”Obviously, I’m looking forward to England and Wales because my parents were from Wales originally.”

The Embassy is an Irish-owned European pub that will be opening earlier than usual for the 7 a.m. matches. Fans can catch all of the matches there, including potential reruns of 4 a.m. games. The bar has special drink promotions planned, with Krombacher for Germany games and Modelo for Mexico games.

A.J. Hudson’s, 3801 N. Ashland Ave.

Formerly Ginger Ale House, A.J. Hudson’s has been a soccer staple in Chicago since the early ’90s. The Lake View bar has been known to draw a large crowd of England supporters but is a go-to spot for fans to watch any and all international soccer matches.

For the World Cup, it will be featuring sponsored cocktails for each team.

”Whether it’s a feature beer, spirit or cocktail, we’re trying to get as close to representing each country as possible,” A.J. Hudson’s bar manager said.

It won’t be showing the 4 a.m. games live, but it will have replays airing when it opens for 7 a.m. matches.

Chicago Fire World Cup watch parties

Fire Pitch, a community sports complex in North Center, is the Chicago Fire’s official hot spot for viewing all of the World Cup matches, except for those that kick off at 4 a.m. Soccer fans can enjoy access to specialty food and drinks, including quiches, pierogi and tacos.

The watch parties at Fire Pitch also include access to the Fire’s exclusive co-branded merchandise for fans of Mexico, Poland and Switzerland.

The Fire also will be hosting a watch party Friday in the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier in anticipation of the United States-England match at 1 p.m. Admission to the Navy Pier watch party is free and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

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The White Sox declined to tender 2023 contracts to outfielder Adam Engel and infielder Danny Mendick Friday.

Engel, 30, struggled at times during his sixth season, batting .224/.269/.310 with two home runs and 12 stolen bases in 119 games.

Mendick, 29, batted .289/.343/.443 with three homers in 31 games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee in a collision with outfielder Adam Haseley on June 22 against Toronto. Mendick filled in capably offensively and defensively while shortstop Tim Anderson was injured, and can play multiple positions, including the outfield.

“We appreciate all that Adam and Danny did for our organization in 2022 and during prior seasons,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “As we have said at other times, a lot of consideration and analysis goes into the club deciding to forego the arbitration process and instead engage with players and their representatives as free agents. Our plan is to stay in contact with all three players and evaluate their ongoing fit with our club as we move forward through this offseason.”

The team also non-tendered outfielder Mark Payton, a 30-year-old St. Rita graduate who went 3-for-21 in eight games.

The deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players was Friday at 7 p.m. CT.

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Los Angeles Rams take the Bears 6th round pick off the practice squad

The Los Angeles Rams need help at the offensive line positions. The unit has been playing musical chairs as the Rams deal with injuries this season. Those injuries haven’t helped the Rams’ offense win games. The defending Super Bowl Champions come into Week 11 with a 3-6 record.

The Rams’ desperation had the team looking for offensive linemen off other teams’ practice squads. They found one who couldn’t make the cut on the active roster for the bad Bears’ offensive line. According to Brad Biggs with the Chicago Tribune, the Rams signed offensive lineman Zachary Thomas.

Thomas was a 2022 sixth-round selection for the Bears. The San Diego State product was considered a project for the Bears out of the draft. He played tackle in college but was thought to transfer to the NFL as a guard. Thomas didn’t seem to be making any great progress with the Bears this season. He made no appearances with the Bears in the regular season.

It’ll be interesting to see what Thomas can accomplish with head coach Sean McVay with the Rams.

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Bears running back David Montgomery is playing in the NFL’s best rushing attack by far, but he’s the only one who isn’t putting up splashy numbers in it.

While Montgomery hasn’t voiced a syllable of frustration, it’s really bad timing as he heads into free agency at the end of the season. These remaining seven games are his last chance to earn a big contract, whether that’s an extension with the Bears or a restart elsewhere.

Montgomery, fellow running back Khalil Herbert and quarterback Justin Fields have roughly the same number of rushes, but Fields is second in the league at 7.2 yards per carry and Herbert is tied for fourth at six while Montgomery has managed just 3.8. Fourteen NFL running backs are averaging 4.8 or more yards per rush.

Herbert’s hip injury hurts the offense — Montgomery called it a “super big loss” — and will keep him out until at least Week 16 against the Bills. But it also almost certainly will mean more carries for Montgomery starting with the game against the Falcons on Sunday.

The Bears are going to use rookie Trestan Ebner in the running game, but it probably won’t be the same split of carries they had between Montgomery and Herbert. Montgomery got 115 carries to Herbert’s 89 in games when both played. It’s reasonable to expect 75% or more of the running back carries to go to Montgomery against the Falcons.

Bears coaches swear by Montgomery’s pass-blocking, and that’s been extremely valuable this season. There’s a significant dropoff in that department from him to any of the other running backs. He also is universally respected throughout Halas Hall for his tenacity and toughness.

But blocking and grit typically aren’t the main measurements of a running back when teams weigh how much to spend. It’s the most difficult position at which to get paid, and running backs have to be game changers like Derrick Henry or Jonathan Taylor to hit jackpot.

It usually comes down to yardage more than anything. At 434 yards, Montgomery ranks 30th in the league. He also has two rushing touchdowns and has caught 15 passes for 150 yards.

Whereas Herbert is second in the NFL at 1.91 yards over expected per rush according to NFL Next Gen Stats, Montgomery is getting .03 yards fewer than expected on his runs.

General manager Ryan Poles was asked last month if the shared backfield dampened his view on Montgomery as part of the Bears’ future and said no.

“David has run really, really well — he runs hard,” Poles said, highlighting a distinction between Montgomery’s power game and Herbert’s shiftier, speedier style. “One of my favorite players on the team [because of] how he approaches the game and attacks it on Sundays.”

He has gotten a career-low 12.8 carries per game after averaging 16.2 before this season.

Montgomery’s 122 yards on 15 carries against the Packers in Week 2 was his best game of the season, but he hasn’t hit 70 in a game outside of that night. In 54 games, including one playoff appearance, he has topped 100 eight times and had under 40 in 16 games.

Even though most of his career was in Matt Nagy’s run-deficient offense, that’s a sufficient sample size on Montgomery for teams to evaluate. The 3.8 yards per carry he’s averaging this season is a hair below the 3.9 he averaged over his first three.

The upside for Montgomery is that there’s still time to make his case for a contract. A lot can change in seven games, and the Bears seem inclined to remain reliant on the run. If he averages 81 per game the rest of the way — an ambitious-but-possible goal — he will have his second 1,000-yard season.

If he’s bulldozing defenses, the Bears will keep the ball in his hands. This should be the best chance he’s ever had to show what he can do.

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