David Montgomery gets new opportunity in trade from Lions to Texans

The Detroit Lions are sending running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans in exchange for a fourth-round pick, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs and a 2027 seventh-round pick in a trade Monday morning, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.  

The trade comes days after it was reported by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Montgomery wanted out of Detroit. However, the report was debunked with Montgomery himself taking to X, writing, "Damn, Dmo told you that?" pushing back on the idea that he indeed wanted out.

Nevertheless, Detroit likely took that into consideration and decided this was the route it wanted to take, shipping its star running back off to Houston. 

Montgomery had been sharing the backfield with star running back Jahmyr Gibbs, forming a dynamic duo for the Lions rushing attack gaining the nickname “Sonic and Knuckles.” 

However, this past season, the emerging Gibbs took on more of a lead back role with Montgomery being pushed to more of a second fiddle, leading to career-lows with 716 rushing yards on 158 rushing attempts.

Texans find their lead back in David Montgomery

The Texans might have just found their workhorse running back of the future in Montgomery. 

The Texans finished last season with a record of 12-5 and made it to the AFC Divisional Playoffs behind their stellar No. 1-ranked defense. The offense was needing a little help, however, and they might have found it in Montgomery. The Texans running game had been struggling to find its footing behind the likes of Woody Marks and Nick Chubb, with neither back really able to run away with the job. 

Montgomery gives Houston a more polished and experienced runner hungry to show his talents as the lead back. He now joins a team on the rise behind a stellar defense and a young quarterback in C.J. Stroud looking to take the next steps in his career. Having a running back of the quality and experience of Montgomery can certainly help. 

Whether he wanted to get out of Detroit or not, Montgomery now has the opportunity to show that he can still be "the guy" on a playoff contending team.