Montgomery ready for 20 carries a game ... or whatever Bears want

If nothing else, Matt Nagy sounds like a football coach who has learned from his past mistakes.

He has talked this summer about wanting to do certain things differently, whether it's the tempo of practice or giving his veterans more reps in the preseason. This week he also mentioned the possibility of giving running back David Montgomery 20 carries per game.

"It's very doable," Nagy said earlier this week. "You start getting into the analytics and you start talking numbers, and when you look at where David has been the last couple of years, getting him the football is a good thing."

Remember, this is a play caller who once ran the ball seven times for an entire game. The running back hasn't changed, but the mentality has - at least for Nagy.

It has to when a guy like Montgomery, now in his third year, can put together a 1,000-yard season in 2020 despite a seven-week midseason stretch where the scheme and run blocking were downright unhelpful.

Last year, Montgomery rushed for 1,070 yards and 8 touchdowns in 15 games. He averaged 16.5 carries per game.

"Any opportunity I get presented with, I'd embrace," Montgomery said Thursday. "If that would come, too, I'd embrace it. But if it doesn't I'm going to embrace whatever I'm supposed to do."

Montgomery has been working with a speed trainer this offseason. He feels "looser" and "shiftier" this summer.

"He's improved every year," Nagy said. "He's gotten better. We know, as a leader, when he's in the huddle, how coachable he is. ... This is what's special about him, he doesn't worry about things that are out of his control. When you give him the football or tell him to run a route, he wants to be perfect with that."

Practice highlights: Fans returned to training camp for the first time since 2019. The Bears are holding camp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest for the second consecutive year. They have room for about 1,000 fans per day to sit in bleachers alongside the practice fields. Several hundred fans showed up for the first open practice Thursday.

"This game that we play - and we all got to taste it last year - it's a fun game, but it's not the same without the fans," Nagy said. "It's just not."

Thursday was the first full, two-hour practice. Neither Andy Dalton with the first team nor Justin Fields with the second team could lead his offense downfield for a score in the two-minute drill. Nick Foles managed to get the third team into field goal range for Cairo Santos.

Overall, Dalton has looked a little more crisp than Fields. His deep ball has been surprisingly good, despite a miss here or there (he missed a wide open Darnell Mooney in 7-on-7s). His teammates keep raving about how quickly Dalton releases the ball.

Defensively, Robert Quinn has been considered "limited" in practice, but hasn't looked limited. He had a "sack" in the two-minute drill (without hitting the QB, of course). Rookie defensive back Thomas Graham Jr. made a couple nice plays working with the second and third teams.

Short memory: Mooney broke cornerback Jaylon Johnson's ankles, figuratively speaking, during 7-on-7s Thursday. Johnson wound up on the grass and was briefly attended to by trainers, but later returned to the action.

Johnson, 22, is already practicing his CB1 mentality.

"I don't remember going down," Johnson said.

Asked if he remembered Mooney's move, Johnson said, "No," with a chuckle.

With Kyle Fuller gone, Johnson takes over the top spot on the cornerback depth chart this season.

Injury update: During training camp, Nagy is speaking with the media before practice. He did not mention Akiem Hicks during his pre-practice injury update, but Hicks was noticeably absent Thursday.

Rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins (back) didn't practice Thursday. Safety Eddie Jackson (hamstring) and tackle Germain Ifedi (hip flexor) did not practice. Quinn (back) and Bilal Nichols (toe) were limited participants.

Nagy clarified that Jackson's hamstring injury - which is listed as a non-football injury - was the result of his training prior to arriving at the team facility this week.

Quarterback coach John DeFilippo has been absent and Nagy confirmed DeFilippo is in COVID-19 protocol. Nagy said DeFilippo is vaccinated.