Bears RB David Montgomery misses practice with ‘lightly’ rolled ankle

David Montgomery “lightly” rolled his ankle on Wednesday, Bears coach Matt Nagy said, but the impact of his injury could be anything but.

The rookie running back sat out Thursday, one day after rolling his ankle during the team’s Wednesday practice.

“We wanted to keep him out and we’ll just keep an eye on him for here [Thursday] with how things go,” Nagy said.

Nagy, who typically puts out an optimistic tone about injuries, was noncommittal when asked whether Montgomery was in danger of missing Sunday night’s game against the Rams.

“I can’t say either way,” Nagy said. “We’ll just kind of keep an eye on it as it goes here and see how it is [Thursday]. We’re working through [Thursday], and see how he goes.”

The Bears had a ready-made replacement for Montgomery — and waived him Saturday. Veteran Mike Davis — and not Tarik Cohen — would have been next in line for regular carries but was waived Saturday so the Bears could increase their chances of receiving a compensatory fourth-round draft pick in 2020.

Davis, who was claimed by the Panthers on Monday, had only 11 carries for 25 yards this year but posted 112 for 514 with the Seahawks last season. Cohen has 29 carries for 77 yards this season. The other two running backs on the roster, Ryan Nall and practice squadder Kerrith Whyte, have zero combined regular-season rushes.

The Bears could turn to receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who they’ve used as a power back at times this season.