When the Patriots placed running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery on IR on Tuesday, it came as a bit of a surprise. Montgomery did leave the preseason finale with an ankle injury that cost him a week of practice, but he had returned to the field last week and then played 28 snaps in the season opener – 21 on offense and seven on special teams – without showing any obvious discomfort.
There still hasn’t been any information from the team or reports about what led to Montgomery’s IR stint, whether or not it is related to that ankle injury or how much time he’s expected to miss beyond the required four weeks for the IR placement. Asked about it on Wednesday, Bill Belichick was non-committal.
“We’ll see how it goes. I don’t know. If he’s healthy, yeah we’d bring him back, sure,” Belichick replied when asked if Montgomery will play again this season. “How that will all turn out, I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m not a doctor.”
The Patriots filled Montgomery’s vacated spot on the active roster by signing wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey. That leaves them with just three healthy backs on the roster in Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, and rookie Pierre Strong. They also have two backs on the practice squad in J.J. Taylor and rookie Kevin Harris.
Despite the limited depth and experience at the position, Belichick is confident in where the group is at without Montgomery. “We feel good about our depth with the backs, we have good backs,” Belichick said on Wednesday. “It’s tough to lose Ty but we have a couple of good players there and young players behind him.”
We’ll see how that group develops this week without Montgomery in the picture. Stevenson only played 14 snaps last week, so it would make sense to think he could be in for a more expanded role. Elevating Taylor or Harris – likely Taylor given his NFL game experience – seems like a logical move as well.
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.
