Jets plan to maximize versatility of Ty Montgomery

The New York Jets added another versatile weapon when they signed do-it-all free agent Ty Montgomery this offseason.

Montgomery played wide receiver at Stanford, but moved to running back after the Green Bay Packers suffered multiple injuries at the position. He stayed in the backfield with the Baltimore Ravens in 2018, and found himself looking for a new team this year.

With new head coach Adam Gase bringing an aggressive, attacking offense to New York in 2019, Montgomery is excited about how his versatile skill set could be deployed in this scheme (via team reporter Randy Lange):

When they reached out to my agent, we had a long conversation about it and we kind of realized what they were asking of me was actually pretty much what we were looking for, to play with a guy like Le’Veon [Bell], be behind him, do some receiving and running back stuff. And just have an understanding of how Coach Gase has used his backs in the past, used them as dual threats, used multiple backs at a time, just the reputation he has, especially with offense as well and his creativity. That’s really what brought me in.

Through five NFL seasons, Montgomery has tallied 1,824 yards from scrimmage, split nearly 50/50 between rushing and receiving yards. He’s also contributed in the return game, as he did in college.

With Le’Veon Bell already locked in as the team’s top offensive weapon, Montgomery’s skill set is a perfect fit for the kinds of things Bell will be doing in Gase’s offense. That makes him a perfect backup option to help keep Bell fresh over the long haul of the season, especially after the former Pittsburgh Steelers star sat out the entire 2018 season.

Montgomery wasn’t the most talked-about signing of the offseason, but he could end up making a significant contribution in Gase’s first season leading the Jets.