Though Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery shut down a trade report on Sunday, his fate was revealed the next day as he starts a new chapter in his NFL journey. After Montgomery's 2025 season with the Lions, headlining a backfield with star Jahmyr Gibbs, he will now head to the Houston Texans.
Adam Schefter of ESPN would report the trade, initially saying that Montgomery was traded to Houston for a fifth-round pick. A few minutes later, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport would update the return, saying that the Texans, in fact, traded offensive lineman Juice Scurggs and a seventh-round pick.
“Trade: Lions are sending RB David Montgomery to the Texans for a 5th-round pick, per sources,” Schefter wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Update on terms: It's the #Texans fourth rounder, OL Juice Scruggs, and a 7th rounder for David Montgomery, per sources. So, fifth-round value. But a complex deal,” Rapoport wrote on X.
The Texans' running back and offensive line situation
There had been rumors around the Texans addressing the running back position, especially after the team could be moving on from Nick Chubb and Dare Ogunbowale, both of whom are entering free agency. It remains to be seen how Houston will handle running back Joe Mixon, as a foot injury kept him out the whole season. If he doesn't return to the team, the only player at the position left is Woody Marks.
Now, the team adds a veteran running back in Montgomery, who had been very productive with the Lions, serving as part of the one-two punch with Gibbs, as said before. The trade also included the Texans dealing another offensive lineman in Scruggs, as they did with Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns, with the team getting back a fifth-round pick.
At any rate, Houston would seem to try to address the offensive line this offseason with the team looking to improve after finishing with a 12-5 record, which put them second in the AFC South. The Texans would lose to the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs, now having bigger aspirations.
