Bears RB David Montgomery back at practice after missing two weeks with ankle injury

The return of running back David Montgomery won’t fix all the Bears’ offensive troubles, but he’ll help. And the Bears could use it.

Montgomery’s status is still uncertain for the game Sunday at the Vikings, but he practiced Thursday for the first time since hurting his right ankle in Week 3. He was limited and said he probably would be a game-time decision, but there wouldn’t be much point in him participating even partially unless he legitimately was hoping to play.

He said he felt ‘‘good, really good’’ after his first day back at practice.

The fact that playing is even a possibility is a relief to the Bears, given how bad the injury looked when Texans defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour rolled into Montgomery’s leg at the end of a play less than two weeks ago at Soldier Field.

‘‘It’s inevitable that you are going to get hurt at some point,’’ Montgomery said. ‘‘You’ve just got to take a step back and . . . try to get yourself better, so you can be in the best shape and be the best version of yourself.’’

The best version of Montgomery also would mean the best version of the Bears’ rushing attack, which still ranks third in the NFL at 177.3 yards per game and fourth in yards per carry at 5.2.

Khalil Herbert has been fine carrying the load while Montgomery has been out, but the Bears ideally would use them in tandem. Montgomery is a better pass blocker and more of a power back than Herbert, plus he’s a proven receiver.

‘‘We’ve missed him,’’ running backs coach David Walker said. ‘‘It was good to see him out there practicing a little bit, and hopefully we get him out there Sunday.

‘‘Just having a playmaker back on the field is gonna help us immensely. . . . When No. 32 is out there, he brings a different dimension to who we are as an offense.’’

Montgomery opened the season with only 26 yards against the 49ers, then barreled through the Packers for 122 on 15 carries. That was his eighth 100-yard rushing game in four seasons with the Bears.

His best season was 2020, when he put up 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns as a runner and caught 54 passes for 438 yards and two touchdowns. He dropped to 1,150 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns last season, but he missed four games because of a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve.

In two games filling in for Montgomery (counting the one against the Texans), Herbert put up 234 yards rushing at six yards per carry and scored two touchdowns. The Bears also have used rookie Trestan Ebner, a sixth-round pick, and he ran 13 times for 43 yards in the last two games.

In the first two games, when everyone was healthy, Montgomery got 32 carries and Herbert 13.

There are other incentives for Montgomery to get back on the field as quickly as possible because he is in a contract year. He dismissed that as a factor, but it’s indisputable that his play this season will dictate what kind of deal he gets as a free agent, whether it’s with the Bears or elsewhere.

‘‘I just want to get healthy and go out and play with the guys, honestly,’’ Montgomery said. ‘‘I’m not really into the whole contract-talk thing because I’m a firm believer in, ‘Whatever works out,’ and that’s how I see things. I’m just super-excited to go back out with the guys and run around.’’