Ty Montgomery
(Nam Y. Huh/AP)

To spell Le’Veon Bell, the New York Jets have reportedly brought in Ty Montgomery, formerly of the Packers and Ravens.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New York Jets have signed free agent running back Ty Montgomery. The Stanford alum, 26, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens.

Montgomery has tallied 932 yards on 192 carries over his career, good for a strong 4.9 average. He has also established himself as one of the more dangerous receiving threats from the backfield, earning 892 yards on 107 receptions during his tenure. 10 of his touches have gone for touchdowns.

Converted from receiver, Montgomery entered the league as Green Bay’s third-round pick in 2015. His sophomore season has been his best NFL campaign to date, earning 807 yards from scrimmage. The postseason brought further success, as he earned 168 total yards and two scores as the Packers reached the NFC title game.

The follow-up in 2017 ended before it could truly get started. Montgomery earned 284 yards and three touchdowns over his first four games before breaking his ribs in a Week 4 home game against Chicago. The injury became a recurring issue for the rest of the season, limiting him to eight games on the year. Eventually, the injuries and emergence of Aaron Jones at running back forced Montgomery to injured reserve in early December.

Montgomery’s Packers career came to an abrupt end in October. With Green Bay trailing the Los Angeles Rams 29-27 in the dying stages of a Week 8 showdown, Montgomery received the kickoff after the Rams’ go-ahead score deep in his own end zone. Told to kneel in such a situation, Montgomery instead tried to take the ball out and paid the ultimate price via a lost fumble that more or less ended the game.

Two days after the gaffe, Montgomery was traded to Baltimore in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2020. He finished the year with 423 total yards amongst the two teams, also partaking in the Ravens’ AFC wild-card playoff loss to Indianapolis.

Montgomery will likely be the primary spell rushing option behind newcomer Le’Veon Bell. It’s also possible he could reprise his duties on special teams, especially with the Jets losing Andre Roberts, their Pro Bowl returner. Retained in the Jets rushing room are Elijah McGuire and Trenton Cannon, who will likely spend the summer fighting for a regular season roster spot.

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