From one former NFL player to another: after losing assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley last week, the Lions are replacing him with Scottie Montgomery, per the NFL Network.
Montgomery, 44, is a former NFL wide receiver who was running backs coach for the Colts the past two seasons. He was reportedly in high demand around the NFL and chose Detroit as his next stop.
Montgomery's arrival will help Dan Campbell account for the loss of Staley, who took a job with Frank Reich and the Panthers in part to be closer to family.
A star receiver at Duke who played for the Panthers, Broncos and Raiders from 2000-03, Montgomery will take over a running backs room in Detroit headlined by D'Andre Swift and pending free agent Jamaal Williams. The Lions, behind a stout offensive line, are coming off their two best rushing seasons this century.
Montgomery, who also has head coaching experience from a three-year stint at East Carolina, will be tasked with sustaining that momentum as Detroit tries to continue its ascent in the NFC North.
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