The NFL offseason is gaining momentum.
As the league returns home from Indianapolis after the NFL Scouting Combine, teams are starting to make moves in anticipation of the official beginning of the league year. Last week, the New York Jets completed a trade with the Tennessee Titans, resulting in Jermaine Johnson and T’Vondre Sweat changing teams, and this week has kicked off with significant activity thanks to the Houston Texans.
NFL Offseason Moves
On Monday morning, the Texans made a significant move by trading offensive lineman Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns. Shortly after, they finalized a more impactful deal with the Detroit Lions, acquiring running back David Montgomery. In exchange for Montgomery, the Lions will receive offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, along with a fourth-round selection and a seventh-round selection.
Let’s explore this trade by assigning some evaluations.
Detroit Lions’ running back David Montgomery
Texans Trade Overview
It is undeniable that David Montgomery has emerged as an exceptional running back, consistently performing well for the Lions since his transition to Detroit in 2023. Over his three seasons with the Lions, Montgomery has accumulated 2,506 rushing yards from 562 carries, scoring 33 touchdowns, and has also contributed 650 receiving yards through 76 receptions.
Following an impressive debut season with the Lions where he amassed 1,015 rushing yards, David Montgomery experienced a decline in his performance as Jahmyr Gibbs began to take on a larger share of the workload in the Detroit backfield. In 2024, Montgomery recorded 775 rushing yards from 185 attempts, and that number further decreased to 716 yards on 158 attempts in the previous season.
As Gibbs made his debut, Montgomery found his workload diminishing. Although there had been speculation about a possible trade in recent days, the running back refuted those claims over the weekend, expressing on social media his desire to remain in Detroit.
Impact of Montgomery Trade
However, those speculations also suggested that the Lions would seek a Day Three selection in exchange.
Rather, they obtain an option for the offensive line along with a couple of Day Three selections. Furthermore, this transaction generated between $3.5 million and $6 million in cap space for the Lions, contingent on how the trade is classified. Currently, Detroit is over the salary cap for the 2026 season.
Overall, this represents a positive step for the Lions.
Lions’ Strategic Decisions
Mark: A-
Houston Texans Football Team
In isolation, this appears to be a favorable decision for the Texans.
David Montgomery remains an effective running back, and with Gibbs’ rise over the last couple of seasons, Montgomery’s reduced role in Detroit suggests he may still have plenty to offer when he joins the Texans. As many NFL analysts noted when the trade was announced, this decision aligns with the strategy of Texans general manager Nick Caserio. Two years back, the Texans acquired Joe Mixon, who became a key player in their offense the subsequent season. Following that, they brought in Nick Chubb, and now they have Montgomery.
Three powerful running backs capable of enhancing the offense’s performance.
Nonetheless, transactions do not occur in isolation.
As the NFL offseason approached, one of the most significant uncertainties was how the Texans would configure their offensive line to support C.J. Stroud. Enhancing their running game appears to be a wise strategy — and David Montgomery will contribute to that goal — but the effectiveness of a running game largely depends on the performance of the five players on the offensive line.
As Howard and Scruggs depart from Houston, two additional components of that offensive line unit have been taken off the table.
This slightly lowers the grade, as we are left questioning how the Texans will configure their offensive line before the upcoming season. With free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft on the horizon, there is an opportunity for Caserio to revamp that unit, but until we grasp the complete plan, it’s challenging to fully commit.
Mark: B-
You may also like
