David Montgomery trade grades: Texans secure much-needed help in backfield, Lions gain slew of assets
The grades on in after the Texans and Lions pulled off a trade for David Montgomery
After all 32 teams were under one roof during the NFL Scouting Combine, we were bound to see some trade action come down the wire. So, when Monday came and saw the Houston Texans land veteran running back David Montgomery in a trade with the Detroit Lions, your jaw shouldn't exactly be on the floor, but your eyebrows can certainly be raised.
This trade is an effort by the Texans to boost their backfield after last season's mediocre showing, and Montgomery presents a higher ceiling than the team has had in recent years at that position. As for the Lions, a divorce seemed to be on the horizon after some rumblings about Montgomery possibly wanting out (which he denied), along with Detroit general manager Brad Holmes saying that "a player has to want to be in a certain place" when speaking about Montgomery's situation.
All that leads us to this trade going down on Monday morning, which features multiple draft picks and a player heading back to Detroit.
- Texans received: RB David Montgomery
- Lions received: Fourth-round pick, seventh-round pick, OL Juice Scruggs
With the specifics laid out, let's now roll up our sleeves, pull out the red pen, and grade this deal between the two franchises.
Detroit Lions: B-
As we noted earlier, Holmes was dealing with a player who may or may not have wanted out, so getting multiple draft picks along with a player in return is solid.
Montgomery was the 1B in Detroit's backfield over the last few years, but his role started to diminish with Jahmyr Gibbs ascending to superstar status and carrying even more of the workload. That trend was only going to continue in 2026, likely furthering Montgomery's discontent, so moving on from a player whose role is only getting smaller within your offense makes sense. Montgomery also had no guaranteed money left on his contract, so he likely would have looked for a revamped contract, making this a savvy financial move by the Lions, as well. They avoid needing to shell out money to a running back entering his age-29 season.
All that said, Detroit's backfield is now not as deep as it once was, while the timeshare was becoming lopsided, the duo of Gibbs and Montgomery was a great one-two punch that also kept Gibbs fresh.
Meanwhile, Juice Scruggs is a worthwhile dice roll to add to the competition along the offensive line to see if he sticks. Scruggs was a second-round pick in 2023 out of Penn State and could be in the mix to be the team's new starting center (where he played in college and during the first year of his career). Houston demoted Scruggs last season to a rotational depth piece along the interior.
Houston Texans: B
The Texans needed to do something about their lackluster running game, and Montgomery increases the talent level of the backfield. With that in mind, they are a better team on Monday than they were on Sunday before the deal.
In 2025, they were at the bottom of the barrel in most rushing statistics, including dead last in yards per rush after contact. With Montgomery's bowling ball reputation as a runner, he should help claw them out of the basement in that category in 2026.
| Texans rushing stats in 2025 | Stats | NFL rank |
|---|---|---|
Rushing yards per game | 108.9 | 22nd |
Yards per rush | 3.9 | 29th |
Yards per rush after contact | 2.5 | 32nd |
Rushing touchdowns | 9 | T-27th |
This trade should also free second-year running back Woody Marks up for a large role in the passing game. Marks only caught 24 balls for 208 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie season, but he has the potential to be a legit threat as a receiver out of the backfield. With Montgomery likely handling the short-yardage situations, Houston would be wise to kick the tires with Marks as a true passing down back, while sprinkling him in on early downs. It certainly wouldn't be the Sonic and Knuckles duo that Detroit enjoyed with Gibbs and Montgomery, but there is potential there to get a little bit more dynamic with Marks in 2026, thanks to this trade.
The deal also allows the Texans to cut bait with fellow veteran Joe Mixon, who missed all of last season due to injury. Houston can clear $8 million off the books by releasing him.
