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With his jersey halfway rolled up, New Orleans Saints running back Ty Montgomery can sometimes be hard to locate at practice when scanning the fields.

With the No. 88, it can be easily assumed that he's a wide receiver, but for now, Montgomery is mostly working in the running backs room. And when he lines up in the backfield, there's no mistaking him.

It doesn't matter which quarterback he's receiving handoffs from; he's instantly showing his burst of speed from the first step he takes.

"I love what I see," senior offensive assistant Curtis Johnson said. "He has great hands. He can run real well. He's a catch-and-run guy. (Has) extremely good balance, great vision."

Saints coach Sean Payton called Montgomery "unique," noting how he's played at the wideout spot before and can do so again, crediting his versatility.



Part of that flexibility comes from how Montgomery suited up as a wide receiver for the majority of his career before Green Bay moved him to running back. While he was a Packer, his role was limited to third-and-longs and screen plays.

But running backs coach Joel Thomas doesn't want to label Montgomery as a "gadget player."

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Rugby Saint II

He's in the perfect system where he can be moved around to create mismatches. I believe that he will consistently get more touches than the third running back or fifth receiver does on most teams and be highly productive with the ball in his hands. He'll be another weapon keeping defensive coordinators up all night along with all the other weapons we have.

AsylumGuido

Exactly. We are going multi-positional on both sides of the ball with quality starters and depth. You know what that means, right?

19-0 Baby!

Rugby Saint II

Red Bull for opposing coaches late at night?

ChrisXVI

The perfect match of player and scheme. I was thrilled to sign him. He can do tremendous things in Payton’s offense.

Rugby Saint II

When I heard that we signed him I got giddier than I usually do about a new veteran joining the team. I always expect the best from every new face. I'm an optimist! But I knew he was different than most players coming on board. This was a missing puzzle piece and I knew it. I immediately read and looked at all the film I could find. Thanks to the BNG members who are always sharing info.

He's fast and quick too. He's got open field moves for YAC. He can catch. He can run. He can exploit a hole. He can return kicks. He can block blitzes. He runs crisp routes going out for a pass or with the ball handed to him. He's very smart apparently and is picking up the play book.

What's not to like?