David Montgomery has been traded by Lions

After weeks of rumors, the Detroit Lions have shipped running back David Montgomery to a new team.

The Lions agreed to trade Montgomery to the Houston Texans on Monday. According to multiple reports, Detroit is receiving a 4th-round pick, a 7th-round pick, and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.

The Lions’ decision to trade Montgomery is no surprise, as the team seemed to fully commit to Jahmyr Gibbs as their primary running back in 2025. That made Montgomery expendable, and he appeared to want out as well. Plus, by getting two draft picks and a player for him, the Lions actually got a pretty impressive haul.

The Texans, meanwhile, fill an obvious need at running back. Joe Mixon missed the entire season due to injury and Houston is unsure about his future, and Woody Marks did not quite make the position his own. Montgomery should have a straightforward pathway to a significant role right out of the gate.

Montgomery, 28, was a 1,000-yard rusher for Detroit in 2023 and scored 25 touchdowns over the combined 2023 and 2024 seasons as the team’s preferred goal line back. He still scored eight times in 2025, but did so on a career-low 158 carries as Gibbs seized control of the backfield.