The Houston Texans need a better answer at running back. The Detroit Lions appear to be on the outs after three successful seasons with David Montgomery.
Therefore, Monday’s trade between the Lions and Texans makes sense. According to NFL Media, Montgomery is heading to Houston for a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round pick and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.
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Addition may make sense, but subtraction leaves more questions when we score each side of the transaction:
David Montgomery will join his third NFL team after being traded from the Lions to the Texans. (Photo: Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Lions get draft picks, OL help
Initial speculation was that the Lions might accept a fifth-round pick from Montgomery, so getting fourth and seventh seems like a pretty good haul. Montgomery is a good defender, but he’ll be 29 next season, and his $6 million cap hit doesn’t come cheap as a clear backup to Jameer Gibbs (despite a high usage rate).
Scruggs, a former second-round pick who made 20 starts in three seasons, was sacrificed after failing to break into the Texans’ starting lineup last season. He would add depth at linebacker and would be virtually free for the Lions since draft compensation was the key to the trade.
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But the Lions now have to figure out who’s backing Gibbs. This is a team that relies on the run game, and while Gibbs is durable, he’s also a 202-pound back and the Lions don’t want to overwhelm him. Montgomery is an efficient player in his role and he won’t be easily replaced. This seems like a good deal for the Lions, but let’s see how they plan to replace Montgomery.
grade: Second
Texans get RB upgrade
Look for a running back who has thrown for over 3,000 yards from scrimmage and a combined 33 touchdowns over the past three seasons. Montgomery is a great player. He runs strong between the tackles and is a capable receiver. Since he split time with Gibbs, he also logged less mileage than the average 29-year-old running back.
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The problem isn’t Montgomery. This is the Texans offensive line.
Scruggs has fallen out of favor in Houston, but trading him and teammate Titus Howard to the Browns on Monday won’t solve Houston’s offensive line issues. The Texans’ offensive line ranked 27th in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus, which is actually an improvement after a horrific 2024.
Montgomery put up good numbers behind the Lions’ elite defense, while the Texans’ defense will be far from elite.
Perhaps the Texans’ move will make more sense later in the offseason, when their plans to upgrade their offensive line are clearer. It might make more sense to trade a valuable pick to get Montgomery as an upgrade over Woody Marks (who looked good as a rookie last season). It would be a good idea to go to Montgomery. But if the offensive line doesn’t improve, his talent could be wasted.
grade: C-
