Patriots Will Find A Spot On The Field For Ty Montgomery’s Flexibility

Ty Montgomery became a hidden member of the New England Patriots’ initial 53-man roster of 2022. His placement on injured reserve after the first week of the regular season played a part in why.

But the part played before that transaction projects well moving forward.

Somewhere between a running back, wide receiver, kickoff returner and coverage contributor, the veteran saw 21 snaps on offense to go with seven snaps on special teams in September’s opener against the Miami Dolphins. He handled two carries for a loss of two yards in that small sample size at Hard Rock Stadium, yet also caught three passes for 15 yards along with New England’s lone touchdown.

Now at age 30, Montgomery checks in as the Patriots’ oldest player in the backfield and as second-oldest player out wide by a matter of days. The unanimous Stanford All-American’s next NFL campaign comes with a modest cap hit of $1.58 million, per OverTheCap.com. He arrived on a two-year pact featuring $300,000 guaranteed and up to $340,000 in per-game roster bonuses each year.

Yet after being limited by a preseason knee injury and later undergoing shoulder surgery last fall, there should be a place in 2023.

“Ty looks healthy, really healthy,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told reporters midway through June during a press conference at mandatory minicamp. “He was pretty much back shortly after the end of the season in terms of recovery. But he gives us a lot of position versatility on offense and in the kicking game.”

In his lone appearance last season, Montgomery was targeted by quarterback Mac Jones twice on first-and-10, as well as once on second-and-3 and third-and-6 down at the goal line. Elsewhere, he returned one kickoff for 28 yards.

“He’s a smart kid, has good size, explosive speed,” Belichick added of Montgomery, who, at 6 feet, 216 pounds, continued to spend time throughout the formation during spring workouts. “It’s good to have him out there. He can do a lot of different things. We look forward to having him.”

Making previous stops with the Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints, Montgomery has accounted for 2,297 yards and 11 touchdowns from scrimmage since entering the league in 2015. Through 79 career games, the former third-round draft choice stands with 260 carries and 142 catches.

It’s experience Montgomery will look to reapply as the passing-down back spelling starter Rhamondre Stevenson’s workload. And it’s a different level of experience. With Damien Harris now with the Buffalo Bills and James Robinson recently waived, the remainder of New England’s running back depth chart includes J.J. Taylor as well as a pair of 2022 draft picks in Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris.

“They’ve both come along well,” Belichick said of the progress made by the second-year South Dakota State and South Carolina products in blitz pickup. “I’d put Ty in that category, too, because Ty didn’t really get a full year of it. You know, he had the spring and training camp, but it’s been good for him as well. It’s always an important area, especially at that position.”

In the case of Montgomery, officially listed on the Patriots’ roster as an “RB/WR,” being positionless is a path to the field.

Veterans are scheduled to report back to Gillette Stadium for the start of training camp on July 25.