Bears head coach Matt Nagy confirmed Thursday that Montgomery (knee) has been designated to return from injured reserve, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.
The move clears Montgomery to return to practice and gives the Bears a 21-day window in which they can either add him to back to the 53-man roster or keep him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. Since Montgomery hasn't been on the field since suffering a left knee sprain Oct. 3, he could be a limited participant in his return to practice. The Bears will track his progress in practice over the next three days before determining whether he'll be ready to go for Monday's game in Pittsburgh, but if Montgomery remains on IR for another week, Khalil Herbert and Damien Williams (knee) -- if healthy -- will share backfield duties for Chicago.