Our first trade involves fantasy-relevant players for the 2026 NFL offseason. The Lions reached an agreement with the Texans on Monday morning, sending David Montgomery and a seventh-round pick to Houston in exchange for a fourth-round pick and offensive lineman Jyuise Scruggs.
For the Texans, it makes sense. General manager Nick Caserio said at the NFL scouting combine that he “thinks” Joe Mixon underwent surgery “somehow” during the offseason. Translation: He never played for the Texans again, if ever. Mixon’s mysterious injury last year left the team in a bind at the running back position, which is a huge need for the team this offseason. Woody Marks did a great job filling in and handling some significant workload, but there was a change of pace. Montgomery brings proven three-down skills and remains an efficient pass rusher.
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The Texans desperately need to fix a running game that has ranked 31st in rushing success rate and EPA since C.J. Stroud entered the league in 2023. Especially for a team built on an elite defense, having a running game that’s both a success rate and an EPA. That Being inefficient and not explosive is incomprehensible. Simply adding a running back isn’t going to solve your rushing attack — Houston still needs to overhaul its offensive line — but adding a smart veteran is a good start.
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To fully understand how Montgomery will perform this season, we need to look at the rest of Houston’s offseason. The Texans traded one of their few versatile starting offensive linemen to Cleveland on Monday morning. In 2025, Houston ranked 25th in yards before contact per running back rushing attempt. Montgomery should lead the team in touches and could end up being a decent value RB2, but the ecosystem has a long way to go in the coming months.
Returning to Detroit, this move may seem surprising, but general manager Brad Holmes has spent the past few months laying the groundwork for this deal. First, in a late-season press conference, he said Montgomery “should be in a position where he can utilize his skills,” while also teasing an impending divorce. He then essentially doubled down on his efforts at last week’s NFL Scouting Combine, even as he praised his strengths and mostly said it was a player’s choice, not a team’s.
I can’t say I’m shocked that things ended the way they did. I spoke with Montgomery and Jameer Gibbs at the Super Bowl a year ago, and it was clear that Montgomery viewed them as equals and co-starters at the position and resented attempts to pit them against each other.
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Montgomery’s point until 2025 is fair, but that’s not how the team deploys these players. Gibbs touched the ball 182 times for Montgomery 320 times last season. Starting in Week 10, when Dan Campbell, one of Montgomery’s previous biggest picks, took over the reins, Gibbs handled 72 percent of the snaps and 69 percent of the running back touches for Montgomery, which was 35 percent and 31 percent, respectively. No one can blame the veteran for wanting a change.
Here’s why this makes sense for the Lions. You can get solid value out of a player who is still good but may not be as happy anymore and plays a position that you can replace on the cheap. Montgomery himself told me that not having “culture vultures” in the locker room is key to what makes this hustling ecosystem work so well. It’s not that Montgomery is that type of player or person, but it was an amicable parting with a player who could get the opportunity he wanted for another playoff team, thus avoiding the possible cold shoulder from all parties involved.
Perhaps most importantly, you can now rely entirely on the strength of Jameer Gibbs, who, for my money, is as good as any offensive skill position player in the league.
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Gibbs is a versatile threat who is a weapon in the catching game and a severely underrated base rusher. He has become a smart runner who reads his blocks well and makes monster plays at the end of games. There’s no reason why he can’t be the focal point of the running game.
Even though the Lions offensive line faced turnover and injury issues last year, it was still a quality overall rushing ecosystem. In 2025, Detroit ranked fourth in yards before contact per running back rushing attempt. If the Lions can stay healthy, make some personnel changes on the interior, and get some young players to take a step forward, this could be a top-tier offensive line again. That’s a good position for any running back in the league.
I hope the Lions can replace Montgomery in some form or fashion. Gibbs is still light on the back and is most dangerous when you tap into his explosive potential. He’s improved in pass protection over the years, but it’s still not a strength of his game. I would be surprised if it came via a big-name free agent, but a draft pick thrown at the position wouldn’t be that shocking. We’re in the third round or maybe sometime later.
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Still, before Monday’s trade, Gibbs had emerged as a realistic contender for the No. 1.01 pick in fantasy drafts this year. If anything, this deal only solidifies that prevailing view.
