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EspañolWe have our first trade involving a fantasy-relevant player of the 2026 NFL offseason. Monday morning, the Lions agreed with the Texans to send David Montgomery and a seventh-round pick to Houston in exchange for a fourth-round pick and offensive linemen Juice Scruggs.
For the Texans, this makes all the sense in the world. General manager Nick Casserio said at the NFL scouting combine that he “thinks” Joe Mixon had surgery “in some capacity” this offseason. Translation: There is no shot he plays for the Texans, if at all, ever again. Running back was a massive need for the team this offseason after Mixon's mysterious injury left them in a tough spot at the position last year. Woody Marks filled in admirably and handled some significant workloads but he’s a change-of-pace back. Montgomery brings proven three-down skills and remains an efficient rusher.
The Texans desperately need to fix a running game that ranks 31st in rushing success rate and EPA since C.J. Stroud entered the league in 2023. Especially for a team that is built around its elite defense, having a run game that is both that inefficient and unexplosive is incomprehensible. Adding a running back alone doesn’t fix your rushing attack — Houston still needs to overhaul its offensive line — but adding a smart veteran is a nice start.
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In order to fully grasp how Montgomery projects out for this season, we need to see the rest of Houston’s offseason. The Texans traded away one of their few versatile starting-caliber offensive linemen, Tytus Howard, to Cleveland on Monday morning. Houston ranked 25th in yards before contact per running back rush attempt in 2025. Montgomery should be in line to lead the team in touches and may end up being a nice value RB2 but the ecosystem has a long way to go over the coming months.
Back in Detroit, this move may seem surprising but general manager Brad Holmes has been laying the groundwork for this trade over the last couple of months. First, in his end-of-season presser, he said Montgomery “deserves to be in a situation where his skill set can be utilized,” while teasing an upcoming divorce. Then he essentially doubled down on the approaching split at the combine this past week, despite extolling his virtues and mostly saying it was the player's choice, not the team's.
#Lions GM Brad Holmes on David Montgomery: “We’d love to have him back.”
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) February 24, 2026
“Kind of want to put last year in the rear view and just move forward. But obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. Those conversations are still fluid.” pic.twitter.com/k4KH1AJSDl
I can’t say I’m shocked it ended this way. I spoke to both Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs at the Super Bowl a year ago and it was apparent Montgomery viewed them as equals and co-starters at the position and hated when outsiders tried to pit them against each other.
Fair opinion by Montgomery leading into 2025, but that’s not how the team deployed these players, whatsoever. Gibbs touched the ball 320 times last season to 182 for Montgomery. From Week 10, after Dan Campbell, previously one of Montgomery’s biggest champions, took over the play-calling, Gibbs handled 72% of the snaps and 69% of the running back touches to 35% and 31%, respectively, for Montgomery. No one can blame the veteran back for wanting a change.
That’s why this makes sense for the Lions. You get to recoup solid value on a player who is still good but probably isn't all that happy there anymore and plays a position you can replace on the cheap. Montgomery himself told me that not having “culture vultures” in the locker room is key to making that rushing ecosystem so good. Not that Montgomery is that type of player or person at all but an amicable split with a player who can go get the opportunity he desires for another playoff team spares any possible frostiness for all parties involved.
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs told me exactly what makes the Lions rushing ecosystem so special and how it starts with Dan Campbell not allowing any "culture vultures" into the locker room. pic.twitter.com/Wny3zWakuc
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) February 6, 2025
Perhaps most important of all, you can now fully lean into empowering Gibbs, who for my money, is as good as any offensive skill-position player in the league.
Gibbs is a do-it-all threat who is a weapon in the receiving game, as well as a painfully underrated rusher on base downs. He’s become a smart runner who reads out his blocks well and put up monster games down the stretch as the feature back. There’s no reason he can’t handle being the focal point of this run game.
Since Week 7, Jahmyr Gibbs has just decided to drop a 30+ fantasy point hammer every other week pic.twitter.com/ttHjH2w5Wl
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) December 5, 2025
Even as the Lions' offensive line dealt with personnel turnover and injuries last year, it remained a quality overall rushing ecosystem. Detroit ranked fourth in yards before contact per running back rush attempt in 2025. If the Lions are able to stay healthier, make a few personnel changes inside and have some of their younger players take a step forward, this could once again be a top-level offensive line. It’s as good a spot for any running back in the league.
I expect the Lions to replace Montgomery in some form or fashion. Gibbs is still a lighter back and is most dangerous when you lean into his explosive play potential. He’s gotten better in pass protection over the years but that’s still not the strength of his game. I’d be surprised if it came via a big-name free agent addition but a draft pick thrown at the position wouldn’t be all that shocking. We’re talking somewhere in Round 3 or likely later.
Nevertheless, Gibbs would have been in realistic contention for the 1.01 pick in fantasy football drafts this year prior to Monday’s trade. If anything, this transaction will only cement that as a mainstream opinion.