The Jets landed their top free agent target in Le'Veon Bell this offseason, but they went right back into the free agency pool to find his backup in Ty Montgomery as well. Montgomery officially signed with the Jets on Monday, and he couldn't be happier to get started with Gang Green.
"It's a fresh start," Montgomery told newyorkjets.com's Ethan Greenberg. "It's a new opportunity and it's a great opportunity. I get to go out there and I speak for myself with my play. Finally. And I'm looking forward to that."
Montgomery had a pretty rough 2018 season, which is why the fresh start feels so good. He played in seven games with the Packers -- the team he spent the previous three seasons with -- but was traded the game after fumbling a key kickoff return after the Rams in Week 8. He was shipped to Baltimore to play for the Ravens, however he didn't see many touches.
Now with the Jets, Montgomery is hoping to rebound behind Bell and he'll use his versatile skill set to make that happen.
"I think I can really bring something to the table to help this offense in being a guy that can go out wherever, make plays from wherever on the field, and I'm really excited about that," he explained. "I can line up anywhere. I can create mismatches, I can go make plays at any given moment at any point on the field."
The 6-foot, 216-pound Montgomery is like Bell in that he has the ability to make an impact both on the ground and through the air. Between the Packers and Ravens last season, he had 188 rushing yards and one touchdown as well as 235 yards on 25 receptions. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but back in 2016, Montgomery had 457 rushing yards and 348 receiving yards with three total touchdowns in Green Bay.
The Jets' offense will certainly be revolving around Bell, but Montgomery believes what New York will do to make sure Bell's rare skills shine every Sunday will ultimately help him in the end.
"The Jets were a right fit for me because of what this offense has," Montgomery said. "Coach Adam Gase has a reputation of what he can do with an offense and the players in his offense. Signing Le'Veon Bell was huge and having an offense built around a back like that really suits me. I think it complements my game well."