The Detroit Lions opted to shake things up on Monday morning by trading running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans in exchange for draft compensation and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. The move signals Detroit's full commitment to Jahmyr Gibbs as the running back of the future for the team, and also gives the team a new member to add to what was already a solid offensive line.
On Monday, NFL insider Tom Pelissero broke down what Lions head coach Dan Campbell's line of thinking might have been regarding this trade.
“Dan Campbell wants the Lions to get back to playing their brand of football, and that starts with reestablishing a dominant O-line,” reported Pelissero on X, formerly Twitter.
Meanwhile, a previous scouting report from NFL.com referred to Scruggs as playing “like a block of granite…” That certainly seems to fit the bill of what Campbell is hoping to build along his offensive line.
Overall, the Lions are coming off a 2025 season that was a major disappointment, with the team missing the playoffs altogether after having secured the top seed in the NFC the year prior. Campbell ended up taking over the offensive playcalling duties for Detroit down the stretch, in a move that drew mixed results at best.
However, now, the team is looking to bounce back, and re-establishing their dominant offensive line will be a big part of that formula. Scruggs seems to be a player who can slide right in and contribute immediately to winning football, so in that regard, the Montgomery trade could be viewed as a win.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how the Lions' offensive approach will change with Montgomery no longer in the picture, although the star's usage was already down considerably this past season.
In any case, the Lions will look to add more talent when the NFL free agency period opens on March 11.
