Montgomery could face more competition for snaps out of the backfield Saturday against Buffalo with Chicago activating Khalil Herbert (hip) from injured reserve Friday, Larry Meyer of the Bears' official site reports. "The way guys can naturally bounce off of him I think is really cool," offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said of Herbert earlier this week. "What's nice, too, is it's a different type of back. I think there's a value in that, in having two different types of style runners like we're able to have here with [Montgomery] and him."
While Herbert was sidelined for the past four games, Montgomery averaged 14.3 carries and four targets per contest, with both figures being marginally ahead of his season-long averages (13.2 carries, 2.5 targets). Herbert shouldn't be much of a threat to poach work from Montgomery on passing downs, but he'll likely earn more carries than the five per game that Darrynton Evans and Trestan Ebner combined for over the past four weeks. Even if the arrival of Herbert results in Montgomery forking over more snaps, there's a decent chance that both backs push for double-double digit touches against the Bills. Saturday's forecast in Chicago calls for sustained winds around 20 to 25 miles per hour as well as temperatures around 10 degrees Fahrenheit, which could prompt both teams to largely eschew intermediate and deep passes and favor the ground game more heavily.