Ty Montgomery's Unique Playing Style Is a Perfect Fit for Saints
The New Orleans Saints signed former Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, and New York Jets RB/WR Ty Montgomery on Friday afternoon. With the offensive versatility that Montgomery brings, head coach Sean Payton should fill multiple holes with his services.
Ty Montgomery entered the NFL in 2015 as a third-round draft choice by the Green Bay Packers. The Stanford product starred at wide receiver during his college days, catching 61 passes in both his junior and senior years. His play in the Pac-12 earned him First Team All Pac-12 honors and a consensus All-American nod in 2013. However, his claim to fame in the league has not been what made him an All-American. Rather, his versatility and ability to run in the open field made him a versatile threat in the NFL.
As a three-sport athlete in high school, Montgomery proved to be a capable running back & pass-catcher. With over 10 touchdown receptions and over 800 rushing yards in his senior year at St. Mark’s High School in Texas, the 30th ranked WR in the nation headed to Stanford. His ability to see the open field as a return man along with prior experience in the backfield showed when Montgomery played as an emergency running back for the Packers in 2016. Green Bay officially moved him to RB in December. Montgomery finished 2016 with career highs in rushing yards & receptions.
During Sean Payton’s tenure as the HC of the Saints, there has always been a versatile pass-catching back on the roster (i.e. Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, Alvin Kamara). Each of those backs served time lined up in the slot, backfield, or in the return game. Montgomery checks all the boxes. When a leg injury sidelined Alvin Kamara in 2019, a vital piece of the Saints offense vanished. For the first time in 15 years, the Saints did not have a third RB on the roster capable of filling the unique role in Payton’s system.
Though Kamara returned to the gridiron fairly quickly, it was clear he was never truly 100 percent healthy, and it showed. With the signing of Montgomery, the Saints fill needs not only in that unique spot, but also at the receiver spot. Payton has made a living using versatile players into his schemes for years. And while not everyone turns out to be a Taysom Hill, the production received is always golden.
Montgomery played less than 15% of the Jets offense snaps in 2019 and is due for a much bigger role in the Big Easy. Between his pass catching ability and explosiveness in the open field the former starting RB should quickly become a crowd favorite.
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